You Cannot Fix Stupid

 They, Economists, are saying that this shitty Economy and Administrations Poor Decisions and Policies are costing each American Family approximately $250-$700 more a Month for Essentials.  I think they're being very Conservative in that Estimate and it's for a Single Person or a smallish Family in a lower Cost of Living State.  We are NOT that State or that Family, we have a large Family to support and things like Gas in Arizona is the highest in the Nation, so it's costing us closer to $1,300 more a Month just for Essentials.  That's $15,600 Annually!  That's also not sustainable for most Families with no way to increase Income to offset it.  Few of us can pull an extra Grand or more out of our Asses every single Month!!!  But, now here we are... And, I refuse to let it Steal our Joy and Good Times with Good Friends and Family.

The Man and I went back to "Sweet Salvage" for the Halloween Event's 2nd Day, he visited with some of our Friends there and enjoyed himself.  He walked around pretty well with his Walker.  It wasn't crowded at all on Day No. 2 and I told them all, it's coz nothing is up on Social Media, you all need Kim to have it promoted Online better.  I don't know why they didn't since they usually do?!  So, Two Hours after we left they did a decent Facebook Page Post.  A lot of Work goes into these Events and the Halloween Show is supposed to be the Strongest and most Popular, so for it to fall flat is a huge disappointment and missed opportunity.  Coz it really was the best Show ever for Halloween IMO, and they've had some great ones in the Past, but they really outdid themselves for this one and it should have a better turnout than it has had thus far. 

 I bought an Old Doll Head from the French Designer, the one in the Center.  She'd restocked with new Old Doll Heads that are about 150 Years Old from France.  I took a bunch more Pixs with my Cellphone Camera to ensure good ones.  And I Cribbed some they finally did take, after we left and I had mentioned it would Stimulate Trade and Interest if they Promoted it on all their Social Media sites.  I want them all to do well coz we Support all our Indie Businesses Locally and Hope they all keep going.   My Friend Big Kenny asked if he could come over and Buy more stuff from me, sure, so he will call me next week to arrange a Private Pick here at Forever Boheme'.  He's bought a lot from me over the Years, Flatbed Truckloads and Moving Van Loads in fact.  *LOL*  Every time he Delivered something I bought from him he'd leave having spent more Money than I'd spent and filling up his Truck!  *Ha ha ha*

He'd often even buy stuff that wasn't for Sale but could be Bought!  *Winks*  Often even the Furniture I was sitting on when he arrived!  *LMAO*  That's no exaggeration, he's done that in the Past.  Make me an Offer I can't refuse my Friend and I can Fall Out of Love with it for the Right Price.  *Smiles*  Come with a big Wad of Cash and I'll relieve you of it.  *Winks*  Cash always being the Right Size and Right Color.  And, it Buys Options, and other Good Stuff.  *Ha ha ha*  And sometimes he and I work out Trades as well, if he's got something I want and he wants something I've got.   Above is my Adorable Young Modern Hippie Friend Aliyah.  She used to Work at our Antique Mall when she was a Teenager.  Now she's Grown and has an Adorable Pre-School Aged Daughter.   She Bought our Friend Cyndie's Semi Precious Carved Stone Cicada Necklace, it really suits her. 

Aliyah got me eating a lot of yummy Vegan Foods during the Two Years I went off eating Meat to see if it would improve my Health and lower Diabetic Numbers for me?  It didn't, but I didn't mind giving up Meat and now I don't eat as much of it as I used to before that Two Year hiatus from it.  You don't go thru Meat Withdrawal at all, it's not Addictive apparently to your System.  I've reincorporated Meats, but in moderation and prefer Veggies and have reduced Carb intake as well, and ultra processed Foods.   Big Kenny changed his Diet and is now only 15 lbs. away from Goal.  His changes were Simple, he only eats White Meats or Seafoods, and no Fried Foods, hardly any Carbs, lots of Veggies, no Sugars, no ultra Processed Foods, and drinks lots of Water.  He was able to eliminate all Medications he'd been on coz his Health returned to where he no longer needed Medications to Manage it.  He looks great and feels better than he ever has.

I had Written almost a whole Post and deleted it coz it was too Negative and I just wasn't pleased with it enuf to Publish it ever after banging it out and getting it out of my System.  *LOL*  Sometimes a Written Purge of Thoughts is all I need and then I just delete it and never actually Publish it or even have to say it out loud.  And I feel better for it.  *Smiles*  I wore my Lily Munster blowing a Gum Bubble T-Shirt, it's Grey with Bleach Splatters, everyone liked it.  I wore some Betsey Johnson Dia de los Muertos Skull Earrings with it.  {See Below}  All my Friends at the Event were dressed in Halloween Fun Outfits, that weren't Costumes but lent itself to the Theme and Season of the Event... it's just a lot of Fun.   Closer to Halloween some will do Costumes tho', which is equally a lot of Fun.  And on Halloween Night we usually dress up to hand out the Candy to the Trick-Or-Treaters.  The Kids and their Families Love it.   And we have an enjoyable Night and after it's a Wrap for handing out the Treats, we watch Horror Movie Marathons.

 

One of the New Designers made some Wicked Witches Hats but they were pricey, probably too high really, so I don't know she will Sell any.  Her price points were high on most things and she lamented she wasn't having Strong Sales, and that could have been part of it.  I'd of bought some of what she had if it had been in my league of what I'd spend, but, it wasn't and I won't overpay for anything I don't really Need and isn't Essential.   I did enjoy her Displays, she did a great Merchandising Showcasing of it all.  But every time I looked at a Price Tag of something I liked, it was Sticker Shock.   So, I wouldn't be her Demographic of Customer where Money is no Object and you wouldn't even bother what it Costs or to even probably ask or look at the Price.  So, I don't know she'll last long as a New Designer and Vendor there?  If you can't close Sales on the most Popular Event of the Year, then, it's probably not the Right Location or Venue for you.

At Princess T's SAVERS Location I guess a couple of Madly Popular You Tubers came in, a Young Woman and a Young Man,  They came in together and all the Young People who work there, who are very Trendy and Stylish themselves, knew who they were and wanted Pixs taken with them.  I wouldn't have had a Clue who they were and I guess the Gal was way more Popular and more Cool than the Guy, from what all the Young Employees told me about them.  *Smiles*  They were so excited they were definitely having Fan Girl Moments about the Female.  *LOL*  Princess T knew who they were and pointed them out to me as they were leaving and her Co-Workers were excitedly informing us they'd come in and Shopped, Talked with them, taken Pixs with them.  I Guess some of these Online Influencers have Millions of Followers and so what they say about places is a Big Deal.

Good News is The Niece found some Apartments in her price range and can be in them by end of December.  I think that will be best for her since she's used to living Alone and Independently.  It's hard to live Communally if you've not had that as a Lifestyle before and there's not much personal Space here either, lots of Shared Space.  Anyway, I'm glad she's making Plans that suit her, that was my Intention for her, so she could Score this good Job and relocate somewhere that is far enuf away from her own Family's ongoing Drama.  She can keep in touch with them all but not have to Live it and perhaps that will work out better for them all as a Collective too.  Sometimes absence can make the Heart grow fonder so that when they do see her, they try harder to get along and be Kind and considerate, without the interference and judgment of one another?  I hope so, I know she wants to have some relationship with them all, but it's very complicated when there's a lot of conflict, complexities, long standing dysfunction, and baggage to work thru.  I've known the Family for Decades, they're so fractured and it's Sad.

I watched a good Movie with Angelina Jolie and Jon Bernthal called "Those Who Wish Me Dead" {2021} on Netflix.  The Child Actor, Finn Little was very good for his Age.  I also watched an Older Movie that was a True Story about a Family that Survived that Tsunami in Thailand called "The Impossible" {2013} starring Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland when he was still a Child, very well done.  It's been a relaxing Evening after a very full day of Activities with The Man.  We'd had Lunch at "Five & Diner", we Love their Cadillac Meatloaf and it's Two full Meals per Order for us, so we had it for Dinner too.  We did some Environmental Cleanup after going to the Event, we also picked up my Check from the Antique Mall and deposited it, the nicest one I'd earned all Year, which was Sweet.  The Antique Mall was very busy for a Friday, so Hopefully we'll have Strong Sales all Weekend too?

And if Big Kenny does coordinate coming over to Buy some stuff, that will be nice supplemental income too, depending on what he wants to Buy and what I'm willing to Sell.  He always wants my best stuff of coarse and my very best stuff I'm not Selling to a Picker coz I can get full price for it easily myself.  I'll Sell Good Stuff, but the Primo items I'm really not interested in Selling or Discounting if I did detach from any of it and put it up For Sale.  Pickers know that.  I've got some very nice items I know I'd be willing to Sell him if he's interested, a Native American Bronze Western piece worth a lot, but too much for me to Turn at our Antique Mall, he has the Clientele to get what it's really worth who would Buy it.  I'll Sell it to him and still make Money while leaving him good Margins.  I've got a lot of Native American pieces and he likes that kind of thing coz he has a lot of it and I've got a lot so I don't mind Selling Off some of it, within reason.  Ceremonial Pieces I Keep, but the rest I'm not that Attached to.

I liked this Hand Necklace my Friend Cyndie had For Sale at the Event, but it was out of my Price Range.  She was told it might be Ivory and very Old, but, it could just be Bone of some kind... I wasn't convinced it was Ivory, but it was from France and make a fine Necklace she Created and I liked the Silver Antique Heart Shaped Centerpiece she used as a Connector that had come off an Old French broken Rosary.   And I liked the Glass Beads used on the Chain too.  I also liked the Snowflake Fossil Stone Heart Shaped Votivo Necklace Below too, that was Price lower but I wasn't in the Market for more Jewelry, nor did I have the Budget for it right now either.   Like I said, my Budget right now is Modest and my Granddaughter's 21st Birthday is Sept. 22nd so I wanna make that Special for her as much as we're able.  While still having a Budget to have a nice Holiday Season from now 'til Christmas.

 Essentials have gone up so much that my Budget is more strained than usual, but a lot... Gas now is almost over Five Bucks a Gallon and Diesel is nearing Seven Bucks a Gallon here in Arizona, which is ridiculous.  Everything will now go up coz Diesel fuels most Transport and Supply Chain Distribution.  He's absolutely Tanking the Economy... while enriching himself Shamelessly along with his Demon Spawn and equally insatiably Greedy Sycophant Billionaire Buddies.   If they all have their Marie Antoinette Moment I feel they will have deserved a Head Roll en mass for what they're doing to wreck everything for everyone else.  They may have to retreat to their Bunkers when all Hell breaks loose when the masses reach their Breaking Point and come for them.  And they will come for them, desperate people do desperate things, that's a Given.

The Daughter is still doing a lot of Work for Friends out where the Ranches and Mini Farms are.   So hopefully she's earning enuf to see her thru the Holidays?  She said she'll get the 5th Wheel in Order when she gets Home and she can whip things into shape fast when she's pressed to.  Plus I told her we can Box Up some of her things and Store it in the She Shed and just rotate them when she needs to use and swap out things.  Freeing up more Space in there will make it easier for her to Maintain it and move around easier and have it all more functional.  She's been unraveled since the Homicide, which is understandable, that was a LOT to Process and Emotionally move thru the Trauma of.  And I told The Niece to not push anything coz right now is an Emotionally Fragile Time... so, be Mindful of that Fact.   When people are moving thru Grief and extreme Trauma, it takes some Time, sometimes a long time and can't be rushed just coz it inconveniences other people or is uncomfortable for them.

I got a Bagged Lot of "Halloween" Incense from SAVERS cheap and it Smells Divine.  I wasn't sure what "Halloween" Aromas they'd use for Holiday Incense, but I really like what they did, it's the type of Aromas I prefer actually so I'm pleased with how much I got for that low Price point.   It all looks like New Old Stock, none of the Boxes had any missing out of them.   Who knew Vampires Blood and Haunted Houses smelled so good?  *LOL and Winks*  There was other Boxed Incense in the Bagged Lot but these were the Seasonal Fragrances and had a very Hippie Vibe Aroma that I like with Champa, Dragon's Blood and Patchouli blends.   I'm pretty much set for Halloween already in Decor and even bought the better Candies to hand out while they're on Sale.  I figure closer to Halloween they won't be or the selection will not be as good?  I know TARGET is sparse on their Halloween Offerings this Year compared to other Years and most other Stores as well, even the Halloween Specialty Stores.  And at our Antique Mall Halloween Merch is Selling Out.  I Sold most of mine just this Week so have to bring more in.

My Sales for this Pay Period have begun Strong for the 1st Week and I Hope that holds for the 2nd Week of it?  I've got to Price more Pokemon Cards too, they're Selling briskly, the expensive ones mostly.  I bought some Antique Sewing Machine Wooden Ornate Drawers with cute Hardware to put them in until I've got them ready to Sell, to keep them Organized here at Home.  I'd of liked to put them in something like that as a Display for the Antique Mall.  But, the Locked Case doesn't have sufficient Room right now until some more things Sell to free up Shelf Space for something that long.  I've got so many Cards and want to get more into Inventory coz what we have is a nice mix of the American ones and the Japanese ones.  Most are also Holographics that I have.

 

The Mannequin Arm and Hand on the Left of this Pix is the new one I Bought at the Halloween Event.  I'd Bought the one in the forefront from the same Friend at another Event they had about a Month or so ago.  I think she's setting me up?  *Bwahahahaha*  They know me only too well as to what I'd be most likely to not resist Buying.  *Smiles and Winks*  But, they've all also Bought from me and next Week I do have at least One, mebbe Two, of my Designer Friends from that Event coming over to look at what they might Buy that I'd be willing to Sell?  I know I have to release and detach from way more but it's hard sometimes and foolishness not to.  I have too much and the Money is needed more right now, it's why I Invested in things I could profit off of at some point in the Future when we could no longer Work to Earn more.  It's Time... Tick Tock and all that.  But, a Process still since what I have I do Love and took a Lifetime to Source and Invest in it.  Each has some Memories and tho' I'm not Selling the Memories and can Keep those... the Object often prompts the Memories for me and keeps them intact in my Mind now.  *Le Sigh*

So, as you can see from this Image of my Witches Hat and where it finally ended up this Holiday Season, I still have some Christmas out in the background that never got put away.  Some Valentines Hearts too.  Yeah, by the time Christmas rolls around again I've never put away some of last Year's Decor and I don't really mind that I didn't.  As I'm Aging Out, that's becoming more common, I never used to be that Lazy or procrastinate about taking down Seasonal Decor and Storing it away.  Now, I don't mind enjoying it all Year and Save myself the Time, extra Work and Trouble.   And, since it's my Home, I have the Right to be as Weird about it as I wanna be and nobody really Cares.  Mostly coz the rest of the Family aren't really into Decorating for Holidays.  Princess T will Decorate her own Room for Christmas, but, she's the only one that feels a Need to.  And this Year she said she may not bother either coz her Room is pretty crowded with how she wants it to look all the time.  She'd have to get a small Table Sized Tree or Pencil Tree to fit it better now.

I'm personally thinking about getting a small Tree, one that I'll mebbe only use One Year and then Donate after Christmas is over?  *LOL*  I haven't decided yet since I have a couple Months to contemplate my Options and Desires about Christmas Decorating.  I like Decorating for Halloween more, I've never been one to Decorate extensively for Christmas except for putting up a nice Tree... in some Homes I put up more than just a single Tree coz we had Bigger Homes with more Communal Space to do that.  It was Fun when you have the Space to go all out, but here, we just don't.  Tho' I keep a certain Tree up Year round but it's not really heavily "Christmasy" and is a Vintage Tree that is discreet and small, in that one Pix above this Pix you can see it in the Background to the Left.  It has Tintype Antique Photos festooned on it, and Old Black Rosaries, it looks Cool being up all the time so we never took it down after we set it up a couple Years ago.  Nice way to display my Antique and Vintage dark Bead Rosaries Collection and my Antique Tintype Photos Collection.  I also have an Ornate dark Victorian Mourning Fan on that Tree.

 

There's so much I initially wanted to do in The RV Garage Mahal and Art Studio Spaces to Display Collections properly, but the larger Space is not Climate Controlled and it's been brutally Hot most of the Year anymore.  We used to have milder Fall and Winter Seasons and now we don't.  Today I'd like to go check out some Fav Indie Shops and Smaller Antique Malls to see what they're doing for Halloween.  I'm trying to motivate myself to get busy commuting over there since they Open at 10:00 a.m. and it's already almost 9:30 a.m., we slept in coz nobody had to go to Work with Princess T taking a Vacation Day Off.  She's busy doing stuff for her Birthday with her Boyfriend, she'll likely come Home laden with Gifts.  *Winks* 

 Which, I'll let her Buy what she wants as our Gifts to her and she likes doing that, picking out what she wants and I just go with her and we have that Girl Time together Shopping at her Fav Shops and Kiosks in The Mall that Sell her Collectibles.  Sometimes she's asked me if she can just Buy what she wants Online and I give her my Card to do it.  They then just deliver it to the Door.  I feel very Emotional Today and I don't even know Why?  I'm Emotionally Raw and that doesn't happen very often, I'm relatively Emotionless most of the time actually, so it's uncomfortable for me to feel such strong Emotions for no apparent good reason to, it feels very unsettling to me.  Nothing has Triggered it coz it's a lovely Day, The Son even made his Dad and I a nice Breakfast this Morning and had done all the Yardwork for us.  The parts of the Home I'd cleaned, edited and organized look Lovely and most of the Dining Room is in Progress of being Cleaned Up too.  The Young Prince helped with that to assist me with Executive Function.  *Smiles*

But, I did something right off the bat that upset me this Morning when I was distributing our Meds.  I accidentally gave The Man mine!!!  The Son was talking to me while I tried to concentrate and now distractions can make me fuck up royally and I did.  The Son was alarmed when I said, shit... Honey, did you already take the Meds I just gave you?  He had... dammit... and they were mine.  I only take 5 and they're all Meds he takes anyway, but the mix-up bothered me a lot, I can't make mistakes like that and it got me in a Bad Head Space.  I had to re-fill my Friday doses so I could take it, and then give him the rest of his Medications he should have had.  Thankfully I realized what I'd done and it's not like he'd OD on any of it even if he forgot to take it just for a day or took double for just a day.  Which, that's a relief, yet I was hard on myself for not staying Focused enuf when doing something important like that.  The Son apologized for forgetting that distracting me in Process now can mean I totally forget what the Hell I'm doing and could mess up.

I've told both Generations of Young People and The Man before, if you see me sorting or handing out Meds, or Paying Bills, WAIT to Talk to me about anything, don't interrupt me or I could fuck up what I'm doing and it's too important to get it Right!!!  Sometimes when they have something to say they think it can't wait, but it can, if I'm busy doing something important, it HAS to wait until I'm done with that task.  With having Adult ADHD staying on Task and keeping Focus is hard enuf without anyone compromising it further and having errors occur becoz of interruptions.  Even when I'm here Blogging, I don't like interruptions coz I then totally lose my Train of Thought or Type something Weird, mebbe whatever it is they're now saying to me!  *LOL*  I Type VERY fast, so I can actually Type faster than I can Think or even faster than what someone is Saying.  I can lock Keyboards up so I have to sometimes even slow my roll so I don't do that and have to then wait for The System to catch up to me.  When I Worked Census, they had to increase Keystrokes capacity for those of us fast so we didn't Lock Up their System and Crash it.

I've Shared this Story about the 2000 Census before with long time Dear Readers, but for Newbies, that Govt. Contract wanted Speed and Accuracy so would give big Bonuses for both.  Weekly, I always got my Bonus consistently.  Well, they thought they'd be clever to increase Productivity and Accuracy by saying that whoever could hit One Million Keystrokes would get Paid thru the end of the Contract.  Which was the End of December 2000, and could leave when they hit that Milestone, regardless of when they hit it, with full Pay anyway.   I Showed Off and hit One Million Four Hundred Thousand, just giving them Four Hundred Thousand Keystrokes as a Bonus, on October 1st.  *Winks*  They Paid me thru the end of December even tho' October 1st was the last Day I Worked for them, as per Agreed, they Honored their Promise.  A few other really fast Typists hit the Million Mark, not many tho', and you had to not only be Fast, but Accurate too or it wouldn't be Honored, I am both Fast and Accurate.  

 No matter how fast I Type I usually know the moment I hit the Wrong Key and go back and correct it immediately.  With few exceptions, so my Accuracy was high overall.  They had it built into their System to catch Errors/Typos anyway coz everything you Typed was bounced to Two other People, and if all Three Typed the same thing, it was 100% Accurate usually.   I Loved Working the Census and Govt. Contracts coz they Paid Well, always had great Bonuses they incentivized you with, and I made so many Friends while doing the Contracts.  To me it was easy Work and lucrative, so I did Census for Three different 10 Year Rotations.   I never applied the last time they did it coz tho' I could probably still do the Data Entry Work, they haven't had their Data Center in Phoenix again.  And I no longer wanted to do the Door to Door Census taking at my Age.

The Granddaughter that got the Crazy "Wolf" Haircut for her Birthday at the end of August.  She likes it and that's all that Counts and she's got a Pretty Face so can pull off some extreme Fashions just fine and doesn't look too Mental for having done it.  Tho' to me it looks like someone went Mental with the Clippers or didn't know what the Hell they were doing and slipped or made a Mistake or intentionally butchered your Hair.  *LOL*  And it's only Hair, it will grow back and I have to remember all of the Unfortunate Fashions of our own Youth and Past, Right?   Each Generation has had 'em, to be sure, we look back and go, What were we Thinking?!  *Bwahahahaha*  And Princess T and Rusty just came in bearing her Flowers Bouquets, yes, Plural... a Box festooned with Birthday Balloons and Gifts Galore, even Lighting Up... for her 21st Birthday, which is in a couple Days in Real Time.  His Birthday is the 13th of October, The Daughter's is the 14th of October.   So, Princess T has back to back Birthday Gifting to do next Month for her Mom and her Boyfriend.  *LOL*  Below are her Bouquets, 3 of them:

  

Don't they look particularly Purdy against my Colorful Granny Square Afghan Quilt?  *LOL and Smiles*   The Boyfriend is very indulgent, he knows his Woman, she is not Low Maintenance and is Very Extra and not at all your Basic Girlfriend.  *Smiles and Winks*  He's a Good Guy and we Like Rusty, they will have been Together for 3 Years very soon.  They do have their Lovers Quarrels, but tend to break up and make up at the Speed of Light, as Blog Friend Shirley so aptly said, it almost gave her Whiplash.  True that!!!  *Ha ha ha*  I don't even know what they Quarrel about UNTIL she tells me, and she will tell me.  *Smiles*  It's usually Trifles easily resolved actually... and has more to do with him not taking Seriously what she says bothers her, the FIRST Time and only Time she will fucking say it... so Remember it Forever and Ever or you'll be sorry you didn't.  *LMAOROTF, Wonder where she got THAT from?  Winks and Smiles* 

 I too will tell you something once, my Dad was like that, he wouldn't waste breath telling you again or there would be Hell to pay.  Coz we're Serious the 1st time we tell you something Frosts us... and it will ALWAYS Fucking then Frost us if you should be Foolish enuf to Forget.  *Ha ha ha*  We don't like repeating ourselves becoz you happen to be a Slow Learner on what will become a Conflict and Situation between us if you should Go There again and again.   If we told you it bothers us, just don't fucking ever do it again.  Forever and Ever.  *LOL*  It's not as if it's gonna suddenly NOT bother us just coz you are a Fool and do it on The Repeat.  If you tell us that something bothers you, we just don't fucking do it out of Respect for the Fact you Communicated to us that it's not tolerable to you, Simple.  Then there is no Trouble in Paradise.  *Winks*  I don't do whatever The Man has ever told me really Frosts him, why Trigger him by doing it, that makes zero sense to me in any Relationship.  I prefer and Value Peace and Harmony in every Situation and Relationship I'm in.  I'm a No Drama Mama to my Core.

If you even Smell like Drama and a Headache I'd rather you not be in my Orbit, Be Well and just Be Gone.   If you continue to be Dramatic and a Pain in my Ass, we just can't be Friends or have Healthy Relationship or Partnerships, and I'll make that abundantly Clear, Problem then Solved.  For each of us.  Why be around folks who can't get along with you?  I can Respectfully just allow them to be themselves somewhere else and with someone else, just not ME or around me.  *Bwahahahaha*  Even at Work, if someone is a Problem all of the time, I told Management Straight Up, don't ever put us on the same Shift or you will have yourselves a Situation.  *Smiles*   We've had a couple of Situations so they know exactly how Situational the Pairing me with a Problem Person is gonna be... I do not hold back nor suffer Fools. 

 And I frankly don't Care how the Problem Person FEELS about that, but they will know it won't Fly to be a Problem to me, without consequences they won't Like, not for a Second.  And then we'll have an Understanding.  And usually Peace and Harmony between us, so long as they stay in their own Lane from then on and don't step in my Waters Smelling like even a Drop of their Blood has entered into MY Waters.  Unless you enjoy swimming with Sharks who would have no problem tearing you from Limb to Limb becoz you were just that dumb or ignorant?  I actually am Friends now with a couple of people who started out being Problem People and learned the Lesson that it was better to be Friendly with me than an Adversary.  And, I can make Peace just Fine like that, would prefer it in fact, coz I won't Start anything with you ever, but I will Finish it if you Start something with me.  So, Why would you?  That's just Stupidity and you cannot Fix Stupid.

*******

Happy Halloween from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Things And What Happened Around Them

 

I'm stealing a profound Sentence from another fav Blogger that described exactly and in one Sentence, how I Feel about Downsizing and the 'Stuff' I formed Attachments to and have trouble sometimes Detaching from.

"I don't necessarily want the things anymore, either, I want what happened around them."

Thankyou to AGING AWKWARDLY Blog for that profound Sentence, one that I have never been able to put into Words myself.  Wow.

What happened around them is long gone, forever gone, sometimes the People too.  And with every Object there are People attached to the time, place, experience, Memory, that was happening at the acquisition of it.  I always try to remind myself when Detaching from the Stuff of Life, I'm not Selling or giving away MY Memories, someone else will Create their own when they possess whatever it is.  I can Keep the Memories.  Problem is, once the Object is Gone to remind me of said Memories, often I can't and don't Remember anymore.  Those Objects tied me to the Memory somehow in the Data Banks of my Brain.  Which are pretty scrambled and in bad shape these days, those Data Banks of Memory Storage, I think I'm at Capacity and Saturation Point this many Years in to Storing Memories up there, there's not a lot of Room left for more Data or Organizing Old Data efficiently to Retrieve without an Object prompting it?  *LOL*  

And it's True Times have Changed, people don't do what they used to do, not Socially, not any kind of way really.  I'm the last of the Dinosaurs that still does a lot of the things I still hold onto stubbornly and do.  Socializing is waaaaaay different, like the fellow Blogger, I used to Entertain a lot and so did my Friends and extended Family.  I miss that too, nobody does it anymore... or at least hardly at all.  Sometimes even if you do, it's hard to get folks to show up.  Everyone has such busyness of Life these days that Socializing has become quite secondary in Person, or mebbe not on the List at all of things being put on a Calendar, not even during Holidays.  Were you the Hostess with the Mostest?  Did you go all out and Over-The-Top with everything, especially Celebrations?  I did.  I remember even Hosting Wine and Cheese Parties and I don't even Drink, and if I did, I doubt it would be Wines.  

But, I did it for my Friends coz they were all Drinkers, and, I like Cheese.  And it was just Fun and brought people together Recreationally, we all had Demanding Careers.  When we works, we works hard, when we hangs, we hung loose.  *Winks and Laughs*   We'd make a Big Deal of every Party, every Gathering, we had Themed Parties sometimes, Toga Parties when that was a Thing, Masquerade and Costume Parties at Halloween, Christmas Parties, Hayride Cookouts, Keggers around Bonfires {again I didn't Drink but I'd fund some of what Kegs would be there}, Pool Parties {still have some of those with the Younger Generations, I doubt you'd get Geriatrics to show up to one even if all our Friends weren't Dead or Moved Away now, LOL}, New Year's Eve Parties, Baby Showers, Bachelorette Parties before the Weddings, Church Picnics, Easter Egg Hunt Gatherings with the corresponding Easter Buffet Spread.   Fuck, I'd make up reasons to throw a Party!!!  *LOL*

Now, my Kids grew up around that Atmosphere when we were Younger Parents, so they have Fond Memories of it and often lament that their Generation mostly ceased doing it.  They Love to still do it, but participation wanes with their Friends.  Except for Immigrant Families, they still do all of that all of the time, usually every Weekend.  *Smiles and Bravo, Standing Ovation!!!*  But, by the time I was Raising Grandkids, it did slow down, it didn't Cease.  But by then almost everyone I was hanging out with were other Young First Time Parents Raising their Families and getting together coz all our Kiddos were Friends.  Few Grandparents in my Orbit were Custodial Grandparents Raising Grandkids and so most of them didn't want little ones or Teens around and your Invitations to whatever they were doing, ceased entirely. 

 Coz you couldn't do it without your entourage.  And now your Life is completely different than their Experience.  There's no real Point of Reference anymore.  When you become a Full Time Caregiver to ailing or Disabled Loved Ones, same thing happens too, it Isolates, your Social Life becomes a thing of the Past, and would have to be exhumed and Raised from the Dead.  I had no Lazarus Moments, it just Died it's Social Death and I put a Daisy on it and went into Mourning after Burying it, of sorts, you Grieve lots of things that become Lost or will never be.  Your Traditions and Rituals may Evolve and Change over Time too.  I don't even know I'd have the Bandwidth to Host a big shindig anymore?  The G-Kid Force would lament, why are all these people here and when are they going to leave?  *LOL*  Both being part of the Anti-Social Social Club, they prefer NOT Peopling.  And their Tribe is very much like that this Generation coming up.  They're very De-Socialized, aren't they?

As it is my Old Hippie Communal Multi-Generational Style of Living and often having Long Term Houseguests takes getting used to even for some of the Family.  They aren't as comfortable with it as I always have been.  The more the merrier so long as they all get along and play well with others, respect the House Rules and each other, combine Resources and look out for The Good Of All.  Sharing is Caring.  Throw more Water in the Beans if there's more Mouths to Feed.  Sharing your Time is the most Priceless Gift coz you ain't getting any of that Time back.  Needless to say I made that Statement to Princess T this Morning and by the time she got off Work at 1:00 p.m. early, she'd already Made Up with her Boyfriend Rusty again, the breakup being as brief as the last one.  Do you still Care?  Coz the Sharing of each other's Time is Priceless, we only have so much of it, so only Spend it if you still Care for the Person, don't Waste it otherwise.

 

Most of my Interactions Socially these days are limited and Situational, which is Fine at this Season of Life coz I got a lot going on.  I can't exactly Prioritize Socializing like I used to.  Even tho' when I had demanding Careers and  Corporate Lives, Raising of Families {Two Generations of 'em}, somehow I still managed to squeeze in a busy Social Life.  I don't know how I Managed that actually, now it seems Insane... and I guess it was just a higher Priority and a Season that just has passed, a Ship that has Sailed, and tho' I've accepted that, I don't really want or need the Stuff anymore, so I'm Downsizing again ad nauseum and have been for Years now... but I do Want what happened around them.  It's not something I can Have, but it's still a lingering Want, coz the Memories of it all are Priceless and yet fading as I get rid of one Object at a time that ties me to them.  And helps me Remember.  Coz I am a really Nostalgic Sentimental Fool to the Max!!!

If you give me something I really think is hideous, or could never use, wear, or even like one iota, but with the Right Heart and Spirit behind Gifting it to me, I'll Keep that POS becoz of the Person attached to it.  *Bwahahahaha*   I've had someone point it out, WTF is THAT, it's not your Aesthetic or Vibe at all, it looks out of place!  Oh, well, So-And-So gave it to me and that's the only Value it has to me actually, I just can't always bring myself to get rid of it.  So, often I told Loved Ones and Best of Friends, a Gift Of Service or Money is much more Appreciated.  *LOL* And I don't find it to be lazy or impersonal at all, always the Right Size and Color if it's Cash... and Gifts Of Service are my Love Language.  However insignificant or small what you do or did you think was, it means a lot to me.  Then you'll be my "Favorite".  *Winks and Laughs* coz ... and the Competition then begins with everyone vying to be my Next Favorite for a Minute.  *Smiles*

Now, to be perfectly Honest and Transparent, I didn't get to do all the things many of my Friends and Relatives got to do due to my own Personal Commitments and Obligations.  My Careers were both extremely demanding, I Raised Two Generations of Kiddos with Special Needs, and I've been a Caregiver for a very long time too, Generationally in fact.   So, I had to bow out of a lot of things I could have done, would have done, experiences that would have been great to have had.  Some shit fell off the Bucket List along the way coz I got more Time behind me now than in front of me and that fucking List was ridiculously long and unrealistic for the most part.  When I Dreams, I Dreams BIG my Friends.  And even tho' I'm Old now and Tick-Tock, I have ridiculously lofty Goals and Visions still that may or may not be attained.  That's Okay, I'd rather have them than have none.  If you have no Vision and no Goals, are you among The Living Dead then, I have to Wonder?  *Winks*

I've got some Senile Purpura big Purple Bruises on my Skin all the time now and it Freaks the Kiddos Out!  Sometimes I'm covered in Bandaids, so I buy them in bulk now.  *Bwahahaha*  What happened?!  I frankly don't know and couldn't tell ya, it looks bad but it almost never hurts or bothers me, it just looks way more concerning... and even Tyson the Pit Bull does NOT like it, he'll lick where they are and whine, like he's really worried about me having those visible Owies.  Bless him.  Dog Tongues are very soothing, not like Cat Tongues, Eli will lick ya and it's like Sandpaper, not soothing at all even tho' he's being Nice by doing it.  Which is Rare for Eli, he is a Scoundrel usually.   Google says Animals may lick you a lot to show Affection and Bond with you, so, I accept their Love Language when they express themselves that way coz I'm pretty sure I don't Taste Good.  I'm closer to being Mutton than Lamb, let us just say.  *LOL*  Tyson ADORES ME, the Kiddos get a real kick out of how Excited he gets to see me and be near me.

He literally can't stop Wagging his Tail when I'm around and his Tail is like a Whip, so everyone Laughs about it, look, when you're around Mom/Gramma his Tail spins like a Propellor!  And it does, and he Smiles, he's a big Ole' Goofball like that and even tho' I am NOT a Dog Person, I Adore my Great-Grandpup Tyson too.  Sweetest Dog ever.  he looks Scary, is as Powerful as a Bull, and has a Head like a Bulldozer, but, he's Social as he can be and docile of temperament.  He's a good Boy.  I Wish he could just romp thru the Pasture without a Leash on him but he's become an Escape Artist and so now we can't Trust him not to get out and risk getting harmed.  I don't know why he began Escaping coz for a long time he was fine being on the Acreage and it's all Fenced, so we really don't know how he's found an Escape Route, but, he has and it Freaks everyone out when he goes Missing on their Watch.  We can't have that anymore.   So, he unfortunately really screwed himself out of the Freedom he once had and enjoyed.

Kids and Animals, that's why they require so much intensive Supervision by Responsible Adults.  The Grandsons and Sayde have been so Quiet it's not like they're even here and they rarely have ventured out.  I haven't even actually SEEN Allen or Sayde since they arrived.  They have to be using the Guest Bathroom, but when, I couldn't tell ya coz I haven't even bumped into either of them in the Hallways yet.  They're like Ninjas and The Young Prince comes out to get any Food or Drinks for them too, tho' I said they're both Welcome to make an appearance.  I mean neither one of them is Living here, it's just a temporary short Visit and there's absolutely no grudges or animosity they should be fearful of from the rest of the Family.  Listen, if our Grandson is willing and able to work his Relationships out, we Celebrate that and Support it.  He knows our only concerns is he's Safe and the Relationships are Healthy ones that don't turn Toxic or Unsafe.  That's all.  If they can Manage that, they have our Blessings.

 

None of the Three of them is very Socialized or Social, mostly due to their Mental Health and individual Diagnosis which just makes Social Situations and interactions harder for them.  It's hard to fit in when Society deems you a Misfit and isn't particularly inclusive or tolerant.  The Young Prince is like his Sister in that he doesn't mind his Solitary Time at all, he's not particularly fond of People and has a very limited and small Inner Circle, which is his Comfort Zone of Socializing at all.  He's mostly in his own World and Bubble, which isn't always tethered to Reality, Schizophrenia is a very complex Condition... so is D.I.D..  Since The Young Prince has suffered a Severe Head Injury and does have Seizures too, the D.I.D. of his fractured Seven Personalities/Identities has not ever been formally Diagnosed.  I want to try to talk to that Shrink about that during the SSI Clinical Qualifying Evaluation.

He takes Meds for the Seizures, which began after he was run over by a Hit and Run Driver when he was a Pedestrian in New Mexico.  Nobody ever caught who did it so he never got any compensation for his Injuries or appropriate Medical Care coz he was on Medicaid, which was pretty Basic.  You get the minimal amount of Care they can possibly provide and you can only Qualify for on Medicaid... coz you can't afford Healthcare and most Disabled folks on it are indigent and have no Income or only a Disability Income that's not even remotely enuf to Live on unless they Qualify for other Social Services like Subsidized Housing, Nutritional Assistance, etcetera.  No one Agency really works with the others so you have to apply individually so it's a lot of Bureaucrazy going on and mounds of Paperwork for you to fill out and the Government to then Wade thru and either Approve, Deny or Work on your Appeals.  It's not very efficient and a lot of Countries have devised better ways that Work, that we should explore too.

We're finally getting a couple of "Whole Foods" in the West Valley, one is near a big Mall and near where we almost bought that other Mini Farm that we dubbed "The Marilyn Monroe House" coz it was Contemporary Mid Century Modern Architecture.  It had major Plumbing Issues tho' that weren't disclosed and our Inspectors found, so we backed out of the Deal and actually reported the Realtor, who also was the Investor who'd done the Remodel and Flip, coz he'd put Lipstick on a Pig, and that place leaked like the Titanic and had some Black Mold due to Plumbing Leaks, which required Remediation.  So we dodged a Bullet there and like this Mini Farm and Home much better, more bang for our Buck too.  But that one was walking score distance to a huge Mall, and many other Restaurants and major Shopping along Bell Road.  The Whole Foods location, when it Opens, is damned near across the Street from the Mini Farms Community... dammit!  Ain't that a Bitch?  I've been harassing "Whole Foods" for Years now to build a location Westside, now they do right by what I almost bought as a Forever Home!  *LOL*

Some folks Hate "Whole Foods" but I Love it and shopped the East Valley Locations, where they all are, for Years now.  I also like "Trader Joe's" which has opened many West Valley Locations.  One is pretty close to here so I can easily shop there and often do now.   Location, Location, Location are the only real things to consider when Buying Real Estate.  This one is close to a lot too, but not a Walk Score lot of them, close, but would be quite a Walk and not that convenient to Shop without a Vehicle.  I Love Walk Score Properties, at the Historic Home we were spoiled coz it was in Olde Town near the Old City Center with lots of Walking distance Restaurants, Schools, Doctors, Post Office, Shopping, Dentists, Recreational areas, Events... literally everything we needed or wanted and many folks in the Historic District didn't need or even own a Vehicle.  So, it was like Small Town Living in the City and everyone got to know everyone else in the Community so it was very tight knit for Urban Living.

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May the Things and what happened around them bring you fond Memories to always Cherish... Dawn... The Bohemian