The Tip Of The Iceberg ~ Titanic Moments

 You know what bugs me?  When I ask a Family Member to do a Chore and they delay doing it and then forget to do it.  When I ask you do to anything, I mean Right Now I want it done, don't procrastinate and then forget, so it gets blown off and not done.  Well, that's what happened with the Recycle Garbage, I asked the Kids, one of you take it to the Curb coz it comes in the Morning, they agreed, then didn't do it.  I didn't know they didn't do it, until AFTER the Garbage came to pick up and our Recycle Bin was full to the brim, so couldn't now wait a whole other Week!  They come before Sunup and even tho' we get up early, it wasn't early enuf!  So, I had to call and put on an Act to make Bernadette feel sorry enuf for me to waive the usual Fee they charge when you forget.  And will send someone out without charging me, coz they've not had to ever do it before for us.  And she felt sufficient pity coz I was such a Saccharine Sweet Little Old Lady with Memory Care Issues. *Whew*

Yes, I played the Old Lady Card, where I pretended I thought this Weekend had been the Holiday Weekend!   She sweetly told me it was last Week, I acted sufficiently confused and apologized that on Retirement Time I sometimes forget which Day it even is!  Usually on Holiday Weekends they come a Day later than usual, and I acted like I thought this past Weekend had been Labor Day Weekend.  I know, I know, I'm going to Hell playing the doddery Old Lady Card and it isn't Right.   But it is sometimes inciting enuf pity to be effective my Friends, so, whatever didn't cost me that extra goddamned charge.  Coz otherwise I was gonna Go Off on some Kiddos that I'd asked to take it to the damned Curb last Night and they didn't do it and didn't let on they hadn't done it when I asked them to!!!  Even tho' they told me they would and should have then!   It is still frowned upon to wanna kill your Offspring, so an Oscar Worthy Old Lady Act is less Sinful, No?  We agree on that?   I like being Old, it has it's leverage not afforded the Young.  *Winks* 

If I could have stomped down that Garbage to make room for some more I would have, but, it was too full and I didn't have sufficient enuf Rage built up.  *Bwahahaha*   Plus, it's a brand new Receptacle they replaced when the Garbage Truck broke the Lid clear off the other one, we've only had it Two Weeks, and that Truck already cracked the Bottom of this new Bin badly, WTF??!!!  So, I don't wanna manhandle it even more and have to ask for yet another new Bin coz their Truck keeps being too rough with them... or the Bins are being built shitty and flimsier than before... whatever. *Le Sigh*  You pay enuf for Garbage, and Residential Water, we only get a slight discount for not paying for City Sewer coz this Community is so Old it's still on Septic Systems.  And we pay Separate for Irrigation for Agricultural use we're Zoned for, the Water for Irrigation is Free but distribution of it is an Annual Fee and to maintain the Main Canals.

So, that was this Mornings Bitchfest that Yours Truly went Off on.  And my Garbage got picked up, so, it's all Good in The End.  Balance Restored in The Force after a slight Disturbance in The Force.  *LOL*  The Day went much better, the VA Appointment with Dr. Kline went off okay, The Man makes stuff up tho', so, I had to tell Dr. Kline my concerns about possible onset of Dementia and the Sundowners we're dealing with.  He's not concerned yet but said if he begins Wandering to let him know and they'll see if there's some Meds he can have to slow down progression.  As it is The Man is so confused about his Meds, since some have been changed since seeing a Cardiologist, and when you have both a VA Doc and a Civilian Doc they don't always have information of what the other is doing and it gets muddled.  So, he's set up a Consultation with a Nurse to go over what Meds we have at Home, from which Docs, and sort that all out so the VA is properly informed of what Civilian Docs are doing.   And it's hard to remember who knows what coz I don't even know for sure, so, can't really say?  It can be a Beast of a Clown Show to try to navigate successfully, but I try.

The VA doesn't have a Cardiologist on Staff and most Specialists now are Civilian Referrals, you don't have a Choice but to go Civilian when needing Specialists.  But that causes much confusion at the VA and thus to the Veterans too, especially Elderly ones and their Caregivers.  We're getting all his Meds sent to the House from the VA but Dr. Kline said that the VA doesn't send Meds prescribed by any Civilian Doctors, so that was confusing coz we don't get them from anywhere else for The Man!!!  Pretty sure the VA Pharmacy is sending even the new Meds he's on since his Surgery, that was performed by a Civilian Cardiologist who prescribed the 4 new Meds he's on Post-Op!!!  I'm confused now and so I'm glad they're sending someone to the house to see what he has, from whom and what Source, and what should be taken and what should be discontinued?  But, when we got Home, his Rx Bottles sho' nuff had been sent by the VA as if Dr. Kline was the Prescribing Doctor, his Name on those Scripts slapped on the Bottles, so, we weren't Wrong, but the VA was coz it was Dr. Singh who'd Prescribed it and he's a Civilian Cardiologist!  We're not sure anymore, too many changes, too many different Doctors now, too much confusion needing to be Verified Independently.

Good News, our Fav Thai Restaurant "Tom Yum" that was Locked Out with a Landlord Notice last Month, is now re-opened.  I thought they wouldn't have Invested so much in Remodeling the Restaurant so beautifully only to be Evicted, so, I don't know what trouble they had with the Landlord, but it's apparently been resolved.  *Whew*  It was so good to have what we always have, since, we never thought we'd ever have it again!!!   I always order the Appetizer Platter {Above} to Share with The Man, he ordered the Sweet & Sour Shrimp coz they were out of Salmon.  I ordered the Tom Kha {Coconut Soup} with Vegan Chicken Medium Spicy, it's delicious.   We hadn't eaten Breakfast since I didn't know if he'd need to Fast for Labs, so this was our First Meal of the Day.

We also stopped by "Trader Joe's" near the VA Clinic for some Groceries and a GOODWILL nearby it.   I got a very large Antique Goofus Glass Vase for only $3, I Collect Goofus Glass and most of it is around 1920 Era.  I also got a Franciscan Ware Desert Rose Pattern Butter Dish with Lid for only $4, which I'll be Selling, hard to find the Accessory pieces like that for a popular Line of Vintage Dishes like Franciscan Ware in desirable Patterns like the Desert Rose Pattern.  {See Pix further Below}  Online the Butter Dish goes for close to $30 or more, so the Margins were good even tho' it's the only piece I currently have For Sale of that Line of Dishes.   I don't know who still uses formal Butter Dishes?  But, if someone Collects Franciscan Ware, and a lot of folks still do, and of a specific Pattern, they like finding the Accessory Pieces like that.  I can't recall the last time I saw that Line in a Butter Dish at a Chazza.

In light of what looks like the newest horrific Political Violence in the Assassination of a Young Far Right Activist on a College Campus it Utah, this is what I've been deeply concerned about.  This Administration has fomented and ginned up Political Violence so much and made it acceptable to be "Othering" those who don't share your Point of View or Political and Religious Beliefs, that it's not Surprising it's heading down this dangerous Path at warp speed now.  As someone who is deeply opposed to Extremism, Radicalization, Cultish behavior and divisive Ideology that pits Americans against each other, I abhor what I see playing out far too often now.  In our Politics and in our Society as a Collective, it's abhorrent, it's dangerous, it's pouring Gasoline onto a Fire that's already spun out of Control in mere Months now and will burn the whole Country down if we don't put it out in Unity of Purpose!  I get to where I have a loss of Words to express how Apocalyptic I feel it will be if it continues to escalate and be condoned.

Moving On, since, I just can't, it's all too Dark and is the stuff that keeps me up at Night concerned about the Future of America and what our Future Generations will sadly inherit and have to run damage control behind in the wake of it.   And so I just have to move forward with less heavy topics to Blog about.   Becoz I don't want my small slice of the Blogasphere and Platform to Fixate upon what I am repulsed by and see far too many people NOT repulsed by anymore.  To the point they accept it and even participate in it without shame or conscience about how Sick it is to and how complicit they are becoming with it all.   My Mantra is best expressed Below and I so Wish that all of Mankind Shared it... sadly, we haven't Evolved to that place of Enlightenment as a Species yet... but, mebbe someday we might?   I doubt it will be in my Lifetime, but I'd always Hoped it would be.  Loving Kindness extended to fellow Humans matters and is in very short supply these Days.  Whether they look like you or have different Points of View and ways of Being should have little to do with basic Humanity shown and practiced. 

Okay, so less heavy Topics.  When I picked Princess T up from Work she saw some things she wanted me to get her for her Birthday coming up, so I did.  There was a very nice New Old Stock Ed Hardy large Purse that was Tote Sized, Two enormous Pokemon Plush Animals of Jigglypuff and Pikachu {Yes I know far too much about Pokemon Characters having Raised Two Generations of Fans, LOL}, and Two Anime New Boxed LEGO Type Japanese Imported Figures in a Bagged Lot together.  It was Military Discount Day so I got 25% Off all my Purchase.   She'd also seen a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello Fuggler hit the Floor and so I Scored that for myself.  *Winks*  I also Scored Two really nice Specialty T-Shirts in XXL for myself, a really nice Ceramic STARBUCKS Tumbler with Lid, and a Pioneer Woman Canning Jar Trio with Graphics Designer Lids from her Line.  I put individual Salads in those types of Canning Jars in our Fridge for quick Meals or Healthy Snacks options.

Tomorrow Morning I'll be going in to put all my Freshly Priced Inventory into the Showroom and our Locked Case, I have a Back Seat full now, so, can't put it off anymore.  *LOL*  I had intended to do it this day but it was just such a full day I ran out of Steam to, and Time to as well.  I watched the "Charlie Sheen" Special on NetFlix, he was very candid and transparent.   As much of a Train Wreck as Charlie is, and the Pain he caused everyone who Loved him, I always liked him and his Body of Work, and rooted for him to get Well and not self destruct.  He's very fortunate to have had Family and an Inner Circle of his closest Childhood Friends, many of whom are Famous too and he grew up with, who Loved him Unconditionally and truly Cared enuf not to forsake him.  I've been thru that with my own Loved Ones, it's very hard for anyone to understand whose not gone thru all that with someone you Love Unconditionally, be it Family or Friend you're Ride or Die for.

The Daughter and The Son have watched it with me, coz each of them has been like Charlie, and so the parallels were obvious.  The Gallow's Humor about it all we could relate to also, so we understood when the Friends and Family had to embrace Gallow's Humor to endure all of what it entails, in order to preserve Sanity and Perspective.  You don't wanna Lose someone to Addiction or to a Serious Mental Health Issue, of which clearly Charlie had both and has battled his Demons of each all his Life really.  While also being a Person worth Saving, even if he didn't think so and was self-destructing with his Behaviors and self sabotage patterns.  Being in an Industry where he was making a lot of people a lot of Money, and having Meteoric Fame and Success early, meant he had Enablers beyond what most of us would have to Deal with also.  Failure is never as scary as too much Success is, especially premature Success to Handle.  I've never Feared Failure for that reason, but Success can be terrifying, different Levels of it means different Devils.

I cannot compare my own Successes to Charlies, but I have a Point of Reference of too much Career Success too early and while you're still far too Young and Inexperienced to Deal with what it entails.  I remember being an AVP of a Bank and running Three Departments and Millions of Dollars of Portfolio at 23, and by 30 I was Burning Out and almost Died from the Pressures of it all.   The Posturing and the Politics involves people far more Experienced, Seasoned and Older than you, some can become important Mentors and Positive Influences, some can be Devil's Disciples, you must discern which are which and engage in Critical Thinking that has to be on Point, lest your Destiny be tied to the latter. You have to make important decisions about what your Priorities are and should be, in spite of how much Money can be made and how easy Success came to you, becoz the Levels of Devils can be quite formidable and plentiful at that juncture.  I met The Man at that Crossroads of my Journey and Corporate Burnout... which turned out to be a Good Thing.

Tho' I was making far more Money than he was, once we were Married and I was no longer having to Single Parent and be the Lone Ranger in that Journey of Life, he Supported whatever decisions I would make Career Wise and was my Rock of Gibraltar, and I was his.   I gave up a Successful 1st Corporate Life at the Pinnacle of that Success in my Career, one I'd Invested a lot in for over 13 Years. No easy decision, but my Young Family, my Marriage, and my Health and Well Being were more of a Priority than Success and having Money thrown at me to continue with the Madness it had all become.  The Industry itself was in a Freefall and Serious Crisis in the early to late 1980's, I knew it, had Warned of it to my Superiors, since I was a Fixer of the Negative part of Bad Loans and Mitigated their Losses of Bad Loan Originations.  And there were a shitload when the Industry was in Freefall and eventually Crashed.  And it will again, the Writing is on the Wall it will... it's on Rinse and Repeat already.   Bad Financial and Political decisions and Bad Posturing always have consequences, always.

  But at the time so many people were making so much Money with how corrupted and vile it had all become, that they were not all willing to Walk away, just some of us did, just in time as it turned out.  I have zero regrets about that... it was the Right thing to do.  The Banks that Failed deserved to Fail, those that got Bailed Out Federally shouldn't have IMO.  Some people were Indicted and Rightly so, too many were not and were Rewarded for their parts in it all.   And I always did say it's never really What you know in the Corporate World, it's WHO you know or who you Blow... and that's Crude but that's just the Nature of it all really in a Nutshell.  I didn't rise to the Top with a Mattress on my Back, but many had their rise by who they became Prostituted to one way or another.  Those type never last becoz they're Throw Aways to those Using them for those Purposes and they never got ahead by their merits, Nepo Hires are often up the Asses or taking it up the Ass of whose Coat Tails they are Riding On.  Sucking Up will only get you so far before it backfires and comes Home to Roost.

 I'm not at all Surprised that CHASE was very involved in the whole Epstein Saga and that many Executives Warned their Superiors of the Red Flags of obvious Corruption and were not able to put the Brakes on the Billions being made.   Epstein's Crimes go way the fuck back and lotsa that shit was being Funded by those making lots of Money off Billionaires who were serial Criminals.   I Worked for CHASE for many Years, it's where I began my 1st Corporate Life and fast track to Success, I had good Mentors.  But, I also saw the Dark side of the Industry, and ALL Industries of that caliber have a Dark Side, Trust and Believe, when lots of Money is involved and people are getting Rich off of it.  Charlie just didn't Walk away and was like a Moth that got too close to the Flame, singeing his Wings badly and frustrating Grace many times, it's Miraculous he Survived really.  And he had an Audience Loving the sight of an Epic Train Wreck while he was Wheels Off the Rails!  I did find it Amusing he was more upset and Offended by being called Bipolar than all the other Labels tho'... clearly he is... it takes one to know one... but, whatever.  *LMAOROTF*

 I'm as Bat Shit Crazy as Charlie, so I'm not Judging.  But, People can be that way, not all of them, but a great many, are Voyeurs of Carnage and find it Entertaining when others are in Epic Crisis, coz, it's NOT THEM.  When and until it IS YOU or someone you Love, it's not at all Entertaining or like watching Reality TV. If you're in the thick of it and on that Train that's derailing and Wheels Off the Tracks, it's some fucked up shit to wade thru and try not to drown in, go under, or be Deaded by.   Survivors are Rare, you're Fortunate if you are one.  I think I gravitated to my 2nd Corporate Life of working for a large DA's Office at a fraction of the Income becoz of what I found appalling with White Collar Crimes and Obscenely Wealthy getting away with it for fucking Decades.  I guess I thought, well, mebbe in this Path I can make a Positive difference in all of that?   But, there are Tiers of Justice and so you get Over that naivete pretty quickly, I was still relatively Young, still in my 30's, with Ideals that are always loftier than Reality is.  It's only as you become an Old Crone and end up with Sage Wisdom that you realize Power always Corrupts and Absolute Power Absolutely Corrupts, period, full stop, no exceptions. 

 Like Charlie said it was Three Stages of his Journey... The Party... The Party And Trouble... and then Just Trouble.   When you reach Pinnacles of Success the View at the Top can be Ugly as a Panoramic, I don't miss The Corporate Grind therefore, and early Retirement from it.   I'm as Cynical and Jaded as I am becoz I saw just Too Much, and once you See, you can't Unsee... and once you Know, and Hear, you can't Unknow and Unhear.  It's just that Simple an explanation and Warning to those chasing Success... and especially chasing the Benjamins.  Be Careful of what you think you Want, you might just Get it.   And I have been opposed to Donnie Two Dolls since the 1970's since I don't think I ever met a Bank Executive that didn't know about that Guy's Corruption and why American Banks had to quit Lending to him and Bankrolling him, and cut their enormous Losses for enabling the Long Con he has always been adept at and suckered many into with his Bank Fraud and Tax Fraud Cons.  And God knows what else that hasn't been Exposed to date... but will someday.  Whatever you do in the Dark and in Secret, always comes to Light eventually.  His 90+ Felony Counts is only the tip of that Fucker's Iceberg, he'll have his Titanic Moment.  

*******

Don't have your Titanic Moment my Friends... reach your Lifeboat in Time... Dawn... The Bohemian

Getting Into An Autumnal Vibe

So, we went to "Coldwater Coffee House & Bakery" for Brunch, since, they've got it boarded up where the Car drove thru part of their Business and were open by the next day after the accident.  I got the Egg, Cheese & Herb Bollo with an Iced Caramel Latte, The Man got the Ham, Egg & Cheese Bollo with Sweetened Green Iced Tea, I also got their Halal Bacon which is Divine, and some fresh Fruit, which was sliced Nectarines, also delicious.  They were Sold Out of their Baked Goods and Fresh Produce, since, we got there rather late, at 10:00 a.m..   We'd done Environmental Cleanup from 6:30 a.m. 'til then and gotten more River Stones for the Mosaic Project, plus turned our Aluminum in to the Recycle Center that Morning.  It was Humid but Cooler, due to the big Storm the Night before. 

There had been a lot of Monsoon Rain after a big Haboob {actual Photos of the Haboob rolling in are Below so you can see the scale of it compared to the City and Skyscrapers}.  All the Panaderia's were also Sold Out of Bolillos, and it's Hatch Green Chile Day, so they'd had a run on the Bolillos with the Cream Cheese and Hatch Green Chile in them... and the ones with Chorizo... dammit!!!  I did get Two big Orders of fresh Refried Beans from a Mexican Restaurant nearby that makes the BEST Refried Beans I've ever had, they used White Beans.

Steam rises out of these piping Hot fresh Bollo's and they are Sublime!  The Owner makes them from a Family Recipe handed down Generations in his Family.  Lots of International Students and College Kids were hanging out at the Coffee Shop while we were there so you were hearing Languages from around the Globe being spoken.  There were some Dutch Students at one Table, some German Students at another, an Asian Student at another Table.  A lot of the Students are in Aviation and Goodyear Airport has International Training of Commercial and Military Students from other Countries. 

 The Son took German in High School and speaks it almost fluently, so the German Pilots love when he can converse with them in their Native Language.  And of coarse The Daughter is fluent in Spanish.   I always encouraged all the Kids to try to learn at least a 2nd language.  When I was Young I could speak Five Languages, but, if you don't use it, you lose it.  My Mom was multi-lingual and could pick up languages easily, she could have been a Linguist.  English was not her first Language, Welsh was.  In her Generation more Welsh spoke it. 

 But, also in her Generation the Teachers at Schools in Wales were English and beat Welsh Kids if they heard them speaking Welsh.  My Mom in Grade School once had all her Fingers Broken by an English Teacher becoz she was caught speaking Welsh.  He made her put her little Hands on the Desk and hit her Hands with a Ruler, it broke all her Fingers!!!   My Gran-Gran went to the School and threatened to beat the Teacher for what he'd done to his Child!   My Gran-Gran was an intimidating Man to try to mess with.  Same with Indigenous Tribal Kids in America, beaten for speaking their Languages at the Indian Schools... lots of abuse, Children even Died.  It's Shameful History often Covered Up.

Moving On to Cuteness and Positive Stories... this Great-Grandson saw his Older Sisters getting their Pixs taken for the first Day of School and insisted he get his taken too.  *Awwww... Smiles*  He had no idea why his Big Sis's were being Photographed but he certainly wasn't gonna be left out!  *LOL*    And the other Great-Grandson, Below, was also pretending he was School-Bound.  *LOL*   I'm glad both Granddaughters document all of the Milestones.  The Middle Granddaughter just did a Video of her Daughter's first Steps, she Learned to Walk just the other day and now is already Hell on Wheels just a day or so into Walking!  That one's Two Kiddos are full of Piss N Vinegar she says... but then, so was she.  *Bwahahahaha*

Below are actual Photos of the Haboob that hit Metro Phoenix last Night, some good local Photographers said they'd waited Years to capture one in progress.   Now, for Scale, some of those Skyscrapers in the City are almost 30 Stories High or so, and are dwarfed by the Haboob!  Visibility during one is Zero and it can Sandblast Glass and can take the Paint right off Vehicles with how strong the Wind blows the Desert Sand!!!   It's Horror Movie or Apocalyptic Movie worthy!!!  I've had Windshields pitted so badly that I've had to have them replaced before due to being caught in one while Driving.  You have to pull off the Road, turn your Lights Off and Pray nobody crashes into you that isn't doing what they should.   You don't keep your Lights On coz then other Vehicles will try to follow, don't know you're stopped, and crash into you.

The Rains were torrential after it so we did have some Flooding and glad we'd Sandbagged the Back Porch with new Sandbags recently.  *Whew*  Mando and The Daughter had been filling new Sandbags recently coz some of our Old Ones had split and spilled their Sand.  They don't make the Sandbags out of Fabric anymore, now it's a Tarp type Material that only lasts a Season and then deteriorates/rots in the Heat & Sun.  Below are my Belgian Waffles, they're so good, even if you don't Toast them.  I should have bought more since they were on clearance, but I didn't know they were individually packaged inside of the main packaging or I would have.  I would have bought a bunch more and frozen them.  I drizzle Whipping Cream over the fresh Fruit.  It tastes so decadent.

The Daughter is so Crazy she set this up {See Pixs Below} in the Hallway of the 5th Wheel... LMAOROTF!   It's her Snoop Dogg Robe she got for Christmas, with one of my Halloween Masks, some of her Jammie Pants and her Nike Kicks, with a Bling Necklace and fake Blunt... hilarious!  The Body is just Shopkins Plushies stacked up and then dressed!   We are easily Amused.  *Bwahahahaha*  In the Dark this would scare the shit out of anyone walking in there if they didn't realize it wasn't a real Person standing there, coz that Mask glows in the Dark and looks so Sinister!!!  *LOL*  Not sure but I think it's a Mask from the Movie "The Purge"?  *Smiles*

And look what some Crafty Chica did utilizing an empty TIDE Pods Container to make a Jack O'Lantern, it was only Two Dollars at SAVERS so I bought it and will keep our TIDE Pod Containers now so we can make some Tole Painted ones of our own Creation for Halloween Outdoor Decor, you could put those Battery Operated Lights inside to light it up:

When The Daughter's Friend Marcos in Mexico saw the Pixs I posted on FB of all the Kids in the Pool this Weekend he sent us this one of him, he lives on the Beach and owns a couple of Beachfront Properties in different Locations in Mexico... we were Laughing our Asses off, he's a Riot!  *LOL*

The Son said his Girlfriend's Mom is Hospitalized with a Blood Infection, she'll probably be okay but it was quite a Scare.  He's known her whole Family since he was a Tween, but hadn't seen her Mom and Brothers for Years until now.  So, even tho' they were getting together at the Hospital for something Serious, he said it was good to see all of her Family again.  I don't know if some of her Family still lives on the Rez or not, she wants to take The Son up to her Reservation sometime.  We've been thru the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona, it's quite large, over 27,400 Miles, about 16 Million Acres, and the largest Reservation in the United States, founded in 1868 but the Navajo have lived on the Land for Thousands of Years.  There are just under 400,000 enrolled Members of the Tribe, about 170,000 live on the Reservation.

I had to send more Money to Mexico for the School Uniform the Granddaughter needs, the one we just paid Tuition for.   She and her Younger Sister are both Seniors this Year and we know the Younger one will Graduate becoz she's an Honor Student.  But the Older one is a Special Needs Student and got held back a Year already, she struggles in School like Princess T did, so it's been a tough row to hoe for her Academically.  Unlike Princess T, that one got fed up and quit trying, so we told her if we pay for Tuition and Uniform this Year she has to give it her best and try, whatever her best is will be good enough for us, but she has to take it seriously.  Otherwise, she might as well drop out and just go to Work.  Faced with that option and sentiment she decided she wanted to enroll in School.  *Winks*  

 She's been a handful, that one, and her Older Sister is now Raising/Supporting the Two Younger Ones, now their Paternal Grandma Died who was Raising them.   We couldn't get them into the Country or they'd all be living with me.  But the Oldest had a Scholarship to College, a Job and was also Modeling as a 2nd Job, so, she really didn't want to leave Mexico.  And, it is their Home, where they were Born and Raised, have extended Family they know and all their Friends, so, it's understandable they were hesitant to want to come to America.  They'd like to visit some day but have no grasp on the English language and hear bad things on TV about what Immigrants are experiencing now in America, especially Hispanics, so it scares them.  It scares me too.

  

Above is a Pix of me at Age 2.5 and my Brother who was 6 Months Old and weighed more than me!   Coz I only Weighed 16 Lbs. at Age 2! *LOL*  He had the Peaches and Cream Skin of our Mom when he was Little and I was Swarthy like my Dad, but he had the Blue Black Hair and Darker Eyes, and I had the Lighter Hair and Pale Grey Eyes.  He was such a Cute Baby and always Smiling and Happy... I was that Baby that always Scowled and looked dead Serious.  I think there are NO Smiling Baby Pixs of Yours Truly!!!   My Parents said I'd give people The Death Stare as a Baby, so they never quite knew what to say Nice about me?!   *Ha ha ha*

Another Blast From The Past of my Maternal Nanna, who was of Irish descent and had very Curly Blue Black Hair and the most Beautiful Green Eyes like The Young Prince has.   In this Photo my Nanna was already in her Sixties, she lived to be 84, just like my Mom.  My Nanna had been a Dancer and Actress on the Stage as a Young Woman when my Gran-Gran met her.  She had a Beautiful Voice, as did my Uncle and Aunt, my Mom also was an excellent Dancer when Young, everything from Ballet, to Tap, to Ballroom Dancing and Modern Dance.   My Nanna's Dad was a Conductor for an Orchestra and could play every Instrument.  Her whole Family were in the Entertainment Business of Theater, Stage and Music of their Era, before Television.  I think perhaps The Young Prince Inherited that ability from that side of the Family becoz he can play any Instrument as well, self-taught.

This is my Mom when she was in her 80's, that's The Young Prince, and of coarse myself.   That Photo in the background is her and my Dad at their Wedding, I think my Brother has that Photo now, I'd like to have it.  Mom was already in a Nursing Home here in Arizona during this time, with Advanced Dementia and failing Health, before my Brother pulled some strings/favors with his Celebrity Friends to get her on CalCare and move her to Cali to a nice Nursing Home and then Hospice there.  Arizona would only pay for 21 Days at a time of her Nursing Home Care thru Medicare and I just couldn't keep taking her in and out to play their Qualifying Games, the Cost was $11,000 a Month!   She was the Widow of a Veteran who had Served 27 Years in the Military, she should have Qualified to be at the Old Soldier's Home.  Some Dependent's Qualify if they were Married for the bulk of their Spouses Career over 20 Years of Service, which, she was.  

Above is The Man, back when he could still go on Hikes.   We used to go Hiking a lot in those days and on various Wilderness Adventures, I do Miss doing that with him.   We had a similar situation with him not being allowed into the Old Soldier's Home for Long Term Care even tho' he'd Served 39 Years in the Military!!!   Which, is why we have him at Home Caring for him instead, tho', Honestly, I think he's better off with us for as long as we're able to manage it.  But if the Dementia gets advanced, like it did with Mom, it becomes too complex for Family to manage, especially with failing Health too, you can no longer meet them at their Point of Need and that gets scary if you can't get them into a Facility.  I was so Grateful my Brother and his Lady had Famous Friends from being in the Entertainment Industry for their whole Careers.  So that Mom got properly taken Care of when my Brother and I no longer could meet her at her Point of Need.

We got Dad into a Hospice that was Non-Profit when he was Dying and he didn't last very long there and they did cover everything.  He just gave up the Ghost the very Day they transferred him to Hospice from Hospital, and had told me before he lapsed into permanent unconsciousness, that it was a Good Day To Die, his very last Words in fact.  That was his way and that's how he chose to Exit this Realm.  My Mom's Care was lengthy and lasted for Years, we could never have afforded any of her Advanced Care.  I would prefer to Exit this Realm like my Dad did.  He would take no Medications and stayed in Good Spirits until he decided it was his Time, he had a total Peace about Dying and embraced it as coming Full Circle in the Cycle that is Life & Death, whereas my Mom didn't and tenaciously fought Death for a very long time.   The Son looks a lot like my Dad's Side of the Family and my Ex, who was also part Native American.

The Daughter {pictured Above on the Left}, has been Organizing my Photos for me and putting them in Vintage Suitcases for protection and Storage, we also have some of the Older ones in Cigar Humidors.  I appreciated her getting involved in the Time Consuming Labor Intensive Organizational Projects like that.  I can get so bogged down in that Minutia and become quite Overwhelmed, especially Emotionally, becoz the Photos hold a Lifetime of Special Memories that are poingnant and often deeply Emotional.  So, I can only browse thru them for a Time before next thing you know I'm an Emotional Mess.  *LOL*   Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not in a good way.   Some Photos are Triggering to me Emotionally and I can never tell when or why they'll be at any given Time I'm looking at them?   I'm a Sentimental and Nostalgic Person so I guess that's a big part of it?

 

A Photo of a Great-Granddaughter and her Dog hugging whilst Napping can send me over the Edge Emotionally.  *LOL*   And of coarse Photos of anyone I Love who have Crossed Over, well, it goes without saying.  I sometimes NEED to see a Photo of them, but sometimes it's still hard, even after all the Years they've been gone... and some, more recently.   So some of this Post went down Memory Lane quite a bit.  The Daughter has been taking Pixs with the Cellphone and downloading them to the Computer of some of the Hard Copy Photos we only have One of and no Negatives anymore.   I know that's a good idea to, tho' sometimes they don't Photograph all that well, it's an added layer of Preservation.   I saw a Special recently on the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and some of the People lost so much that what little they had left was SO Cherished.  One Man only had been able to Recover and Save Three Photos of the Mom he Lost in the Hurricane... and only One of the Baby he Lost in it... both Loved Ones got Washed away, can you only Imagine?! 

He was sitting 20 Years Later on what was left of where the Home once was, just the Cement Steps... and he had a Fabricated Home that replaced it.   He said so many of his Community never returned and of coarse many Died in the Hurricane too.  Recovery has been slow but resilient in New Orleans.   I've never been there, but it is a City that has always intrigued me due to the Unique Culture, Unique Architecture it has, and delicious Cuisine.  The Man went there once, many Years ago.  I have Friends who have gone for Mardi Gras.   And I had a Dear Friend, Clay, who was Born and Raised in New Orleans, who was in the Military and Stationed here at Luke AFB in the 1970's and 1980's.  My Friend Pierre was from there too and introduced me to Creole and Cajun Cuisine in the 1980's.  I doubt I'll ever get to go to Louisiana or New Orleans now.

 

One of our Neighbors gave us a Commercial Dolly they had no use for, it's a nice one, the kind we use at the Antique Mall to move large Furniture and such.  It will make moving anything large or heavy much easier than the Dollies we had, which are sturdy but smaller.  You can move large items with them, but not as easily as with a larger Commercial one.  We sure could have used it for moving that large Marble Top Coffee Table we just Scored for Free too on Bulk Garbage Day.  *LOL*  Once we got the Table onto our Concrete Slab it rolled coz it had Wheels under it.  So, we did get it under cover on the Back Patio before the big Monsoon Storm hit.  *Whew*  I didn't want Water damage to it.   The Marble would be fine but the rest of it is Wood, so needed to be under cover out of the elements.

HIGHLAND YARD VINTAGE will be having their Halloween Event for the Weekends of September 4th-7th and 11th-14th, I can hardly wait.  Several other Venues will be having their Halloween Events in September too so it will be a very busy Month for me attending my Favorite Season's Events.  The Preview Sneak Peeks have been Awesome, they've done some Videos of setting up for the Holiday Events for Autumn and Halloween.   With how Hot it's been I think we're all ready for Fall to arrive and Cool things down.   Autumn and it's Holidays are my Seasonal Favorite tho', I'm definitely all about Fall and it's Holidays, it's Sights, Smells and Color Palette are my Aesthetic and preference.   A lot of the Shops are starting to get their Autumn and Halloween Merch in so I've been going to look at it all even tho' I'm not Buying much.  I've definitely already getting into an Autumnal Vibe since September, the kickoff Month of Autumn, is almost here!!!  I already got out my Autumn Scented Candles.

Viewing of most Posts is still stratospherically high and I still don't know Why except to Believe it's Web Crawlers AI/Bots?  But, other Bloggers did tell me they checked their Stats too and noticed a huge spike as well.    I'm paying attention to Topics being Read most so that I can see what Content seems to be piquing the most Interest, and which Blog Hook Titles?   The Fluff Posts aren't doing so well but the Serious ones certainly are killin' it lately so the Web Crawlers are interested in those Topics clearly.   So, it's not like real Humans or Bots are flocking here to be Uplifted.  They are mostly Reading the Heavier Topic Posts in droves!!!  *Bwahahahahaha*   Well, let's face it, Bad News is always more of a draw than Good News and piques our morbid sense of Curiosity as Humans, we almost can't help ourselves.  The Young Prince would say, "People are Dark.  Even if they pretend not to be." 

He could be Right?  When was the last time you got a Man to go see or sit and watch a "Feel Good" Movie with ya for example?  They call 'em "Chick Flicks" and it would be Under Protest if you could get a Guy to admit to liking any of them and they wouldn't even watch one if you didn't ask them to!   When was the last time you saw a "Daddy Blog", tho' their are "Mommy Blogs" galore and all them Kids had a Man to Spawn them!?  *LOL*   When was the last "Food Blog" with fabulous Food Porn as the main focus that you saw a Male Blogger doing?  Now, it's not just Guys who are mos def Dark Humans... becoz us Gals have more than our Fair Share of Darkness going on and morbid Curiosities too.  When there's an Accident on the Roads, Traffic doesn't slow down just becoz they can't get by it... everyone's gotta LOOK, some more than others... to see if there's any carnage?!  I saw enuf Vehicular Homicide Files to last several Lifetimes and The Man was a Wartime Soldier, a Field Medic and a Paramedic, so both of us don't Need to see more carnage.

 

But, I confess when The News is on, I didn't turn it on to hear about Rainbows, Buttercups and Unicorn Farts, if it was all just News Fluff I might not Need to Know?  Life would be perfect and I'd just know this without having to be adequately Informed that there was no Trouble in Paradise, just sayin'.  I'm being Honest, tho' I do have to limit the onslaught of the Bad News we've had an Avalanche of since 2016, and expose myself to smaller micro-dosing of it, coz it's some epic Heavy shit all the time now, I do still Need to Know, and keep Informed enough, you know?   Yes, I'd prefer everything to be Swell all the time, but I wouldn't Need to Read about it being Swell all the time.  And probably neither would you I suspect?  Am I Right?   BTW: Aren't my 1960's oversized Old Man and Old Woman Norfin Trolls, with their original Tags still intact, adorbs?   And valuable now too.  Trolls are hideously Cute and why I am drawn to them... so Ugly they're Adorable and make me Smile.

And look at this Handsome fella, Mister Eli, pretending to be a Sweet, Innocent and Adorable Cat, when in actuality he's Pre-Demonic!  He could have been Cast in that Stephen King Movie "Pet Sematary" {2019}, becoz he's got the temperament of those Resurrected Demon Pets in that flick!  *LOL*  He'll sometimes be Mellow, but most of the time he's full of Piss N Vinegar and acting Psychotic.   The Son went to a Pantera Concert that got Called due to the Monsoon hitting after they were only Two Songs in, it was an Outdoor Concert and a big Haboob and torrential Rains hit again for the 2nd Day in a row.  He said the Audience sat there in it for another 45 Minutes hoping it was gonna pass and resume.  Apparently it did eventually resume but by then he'd left and had Mando & his Sister pick him up.  He'll be pissed to know it resumed and he Tapped Out after sitting for 45 Minutes in a Storm!

He'd worn some of his nicest Clothes too and looked like a drowned Rat when he got in.  *LOL*  You don't get a Refund on the Ticket Price coz they have a Weather Disclaimer on all Outdoor Concert Venues, Rain or Shine.   The Renaissance Festivals do that too so you have to watch the Weather Forecast and decide whether or not to risk the outlay if the Weather might turn inclement?  Or, be too Hot?  With Summertime Concerts in Arizona my sentiments are that they should all be held Indoors frankly, even for the safety of the Entertainers as well as the Fans.   Of coarse I'm Old now and there's no Entertainers I wanna see bad enuf to sit in Bad Weather to watch and be uncomfortable.  *LOL*  But Youngsters will persevere... and even the Middle Aged will sometimes persevere... it's only us Elders that are like, ooops, felt a Raindrop or the Wind's messing up my Hair, Peace, Out, Fuck it.  *Bwahahahaha* 

I have so few Pixs of my Dad that I Cherish the few he was agreeable to having taken.  He was very Superstitious about Photographs being taken and wouldn't Own a Camera.  The few Pixs taken were usually with a borrowed one and I was respectful of he and his side of the Family, the Elders anyway, not liking their Photographs taken.   I would have wanted them for the Memories to look back upon.   There are no Photos I know of when my Dad was a Child, I think the first Photos he had taken was his Military Photos when he was a Young Adult.   He'd joined at Age 17 but I think the earliest Photo taken was what my Mom had taken of him when he was around 21 and Stationed in her Country.   Pixs above were taken when we were Stationed in Massachusetts, Michigan and when Dad was Stationed in Alaska.  Below, him in Massachusetts and Alaska taken at Work by a Friend of his, who sent them to me.

  

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Autumn's around the Corner... Dawn... The Bohemian