Keep Your Heads On The Swivel

 That Cricket in our Master Bathroom never fucking Died and it's very active at Night chirping away!  So, I'm up at an indecent Hour and only 7 Unpublished Posts ahead now, pretty soon I'll be Blogging in Real Time again. *Smiles*  Oh well, I don't Care... I have either been on a Bloggy Bender and very prolific, or stalled out completely with Bloggers Block.   It all evens and balances out usually in the end.  I had a lot of Imagery to use for Autumn and a lot of Activities to Blog about, but that's coming to an end after Autumn.  I kind of hibernate during Winter as far as interesting Events and Activities go coz there just aren't that many to engage in.  The Weather in the Desert is usually stellar during Winter tho', so we get a lot of Snow Birds arriving to Winter here, and Tourists just wanting some Sunshine and good Winter Weather.  So, prices go way up and Locals don't do as much coz until prices go back down when the Visitors leave, it's not practical, we're not on Vacation and we don't own 2nd Vacation Homes.  The Visitors usually are more affluent than most Locals are.  But they spend a lot while here, so, that's Helpful to the local Economy.

Anyone who lives in a Tourist or Snow Bird destination knows that without them, the Economy would suffer greatly.  So, you can have conflicted sentiments about it, both good and bad... for a whole lot of reasons.  Renters know Rents will spike while they're here, so the Locals better be locked in to a more affordable Lease by Renting and Signing one during Spring or Summer.  Not that there are any affordable Rentals anymore even then, there aren't.  And, everything is costing more so the Cost of Living is spiking while Earnings and Wages are stagnant.  Good paying Jobs with Benefits and Full Time Hours are also scarce, so most of the Locals Employed tend to be Underemployed.  Which makes the Employment Stats look better, but it's not really much better than Unemployment if you can't afford essentials even when Working becoz of being Underemployed.  When the Stats come out of Created Jobs, they always fail to give Statistical Data of how many of those Created Jobs pay a Livable Wage or have Benefits and are Full Time Hours guaranteed?  I have Two Family Members Working currently but they make Minimum Wage and don't always get Full Time Hours or have Benefits.  They could not even afford Rent and the Basics, if they didn't live here with us.

The Niece isn't Earning enuf at the Job she'll soon be ditching, now she got the better paying one that will sustain her.  She was contemplating working both Jobs to ensure she could afford Rent and Basics in a better Neighborhood and be able to have Quality of Life.  But, she felt she might fold under that much pressure and responsibility, juggling Two demanding Careers, which are High Tech level Jobs.  Even the best White Collar Jobs now that require expertise and experience, aren't paying what I think they should be.  But that's a whole other Blog Post for another day.   Let us just say that except for a few key Locations in the Country, which I can Count on One Hand, they're drawing all the Best and Brightest from around the Nation and everywhere else does not have those Opportunities to make a good Living anymore.   Andrew Yang verified my suspicions of this in his Book I'm Reading, of where the Money is at and where the Best and Brightest are ALL Migrating to at the exclusion of everywhere else in the Country.  Even the Career Fields are narrow now at where the Money is at... and they will become even narrower with AI displacement and replacement.

The Son took us out to Breakfast, he'd invited The Niece too but she'd already eaten, so it was just he, The Man and I, we went to a new "Denny's" near the House.  The Man was able to get a 55+ Senior Menu Salmon Meal for only $11!  It was Brunch time so he didn't mind ordering something that wasn't really Breakfast related, The Son also got his Dad some Biscuits & Gravy and Sausage Links for later, coz that's something we know he'll eat too.  I got the Berry Crepes with Breakfast Red Potatoes and a Ham Steak off the A La Carte Menu.  Their Breakfasts had way too much food for me and it was less expensive to just pick my own preference and portions sizes off the A La Carte Menu rather than the Senior Menu which didn't have Crepes as an option.  They did a good Crepe at that location and all the Waitresses were dressed in Costumes for Halloween, which was Cute.  Lots of Kids coming in were also in their Costumes.  We went to a Wal-Mart for me to get some Cat Food and refills for my Halloween Night Light Air Fresheners I bought from Wal-Mart.  They don't interface with other refills brands.

But, I was glad coz they were actually less expensive there and had far more options for Scents, so I got about 15 different Scents for the Four Night Light Air Fresheners that I have.  I really like them in the Bathrooms, Kitchen and Dining Area to scent the Home and offer Lighting that is a Novelty and illuminates all Day and Night long.  You might recall I got a Ghost one, a Haunted Mansion one, a Tombstone one, and a Black Cat against a Full Moon one.  They last just over 30 days as an Air Freshener, which isn't bad for the cost of the refills they use.  I don't like the New Individualized Pricing and Tracking Monitors on the Shopping Carts and Facial Recognition that Wal-Mart is using, most things in the Store no longer even show a Price, but the Air Fresheners and Cat Food did and I memorize it to ensure I'm only getting charged that when I get to the Registers.  This time they didn't try to jack up the prices upon checkout, but they have before and I've caught it and challenged it.  Let the Buyer Beware now of all the unscrupulous illegal practices victimizing Consumers using all this new Technology.  Also, check the Weights on everything, coz the packaging is often deceptive and you're not getting the Weight they say it is, often almost half of what the Pricing says the poundage is!!!  And you're paying by the Pound, so that's significant!

Wal-Mart got Fined about 38 Million, but when they're making Billions, they don't Care and are still doing what they got Fined by the Courts for doing illegally.  If you do the Math, it would be like Fining someone making $69,000 a Year only $4 for an Illegal Act, so that's no deterrent to stop, cease and desist, is it?  They aren't the only big Corporation doing all of this either, and precisely why I Shop Small whenever I can.  And it's why AMAZON is operating at a Loss, they aren't intent on making Money right now, they're intent on driving everyone else out of Business so they'll have the Monopoly and eventually be the only Game in Town, then they can charge whatever they want to and you'll have no other Options.  Same with AI, right now it's operating at huge Losses, but the intent right now is insidious for the Future, Trust and Believe it is not to make life better or easier for any of the rest of us, it never was it's Intention to.   We're like Sheep being led to the Slaughter by the Wolves and other Predators.  In Life you're either Predator or Prey, that's just the way it is.   And if you're gonna be the Prey, at least be Informed Prey and keep your fucking Heads on the Swivel to Survive this.

The Granddaughters are now sending Pixs of the Great-Grandkids in their Costumes.  It's an avalanche of Adorableness.  I look forward to seeing what the Great-Grands wanna be and what Costumes they want each Year that shows what they're most Into.  Sometimes I know which Characters or Movie it's from, sometimes I don't and have to ask.  *LOL*  I'm not Raising another Generation again so what the Littles are Into now I don't always keep Pace with as a Great- Grandparent.  *Smiles*   This Year both Granddaughters who have Kiddos were just themselves for Halloween, no Costume.   Their Younger Sister, who doesn't have Kids, is more likely to dress in Costume coz she's a Special Effects Artist and often Works for Haunted Attractions Creating their Special Effects this time of Year.   Her and some of her Work is Below, she's the Edgy one and she is so much like The Young Prince that they could have been Twins, tho' they are only a Year apart in Age, she's a Year Younger than he is:

So, anyway, I'm not sure what the Great-Granddaughter Below is supposed to be or who, but mebbe it's all her Mama could get her to wear, I dunno?  *LOL*  Picking Costumes is never a Hill worth Dying on when they're Little, whatever they will wear and wanna be, is just Fine.  *Smiles and Shrugs*   I remember when The Daughter was Young sometimes she just wanted to wear her Nanna's Lace Curtains draped around herself and a Tiara, and I didn't Care, that was Costume enuf!   She thought she looked like a Princess, they have very active Imaginations when they're really Young and can Imagine so many things beyond the Scope of whatever they have on hand.  *Smiles*   For Years I only had to find The Son someone's discarded Martial Arts Dogi in his Size {White Jacket or Top of a Martial Arts Uniform} at a Chazza with whatever color Belt came with it as his Costume.  He never took Martial Arts coz I was always afraid with his Mental Illness and Autism he'd really hurt someone if he knew lethal combat, but he'd Imagine himself as a Ninja at Halloween.  And he could use damned near anything as a Weapon so we also had to choose wisely what Pretend Weapon he had for Halloween lest he test it out on his Sister for it's effectiveness as Weaponry.  *LOL & Smiles*  Mostly my Kiddos all had Homemade On The Cheap Costumes for Years.

Right now her Older Brother is refusing to put on a Costume, so he may or may not just go as Himself?  *Bwahahahahahahaha*   These Two, like their Mama, are full of Piss & Vinegar, she has her Hands full as a Single Parent now she's Divorced and the Apples didn't fall far from that Tree.  She was always a very High Maintenance Child from what our Oldest Daughter said.   So, it's the great Generational Payback.  *Smiles and Winks*

Now, the Chill Granddaughter, who was her Mother's Golden Child of the Trio of them, has Chill Compliant Kiddos for the most part.   Tho' her Middle One can have her Moments of displaying Piss N Vinegar, and the Oldest One can be a Diva sometimes, they like dressing up and Voguing for the Camera more than their Cousins do.  Of coarse, their Mama and her Husband have been Pathological Picture Takers like Gramma Dawn and so they really had no Choice.  *Winks*  Their Lives have played out in front of the Lens pretty much and I Love that!   And like me, that Granddaughter does ALL of the Events and so the Kiddos have Grown Up around doing all kinds of Activities and Experienced galore, they are well Exposed to damned near anything and everything going on.   Whether in Costume or out of Costume.  Tho' their Mama is very Into Dressing the whole Family in Themed Outfits that Match usually.  It's Rare when she doesn't.  Their Closets must be quite abundant with Wardrobe for every Occasion or Theme or Season.  *LOL*   But fond Memories are made with these Kodak Moments that they'll appreciate later in Life.

But when it came to this Year's Costumes, I only knew what Two out of Three were, which, according to Singer Meatload, Two out of Three ain't bad.  *Winks and Laughs*  Yep, I knew "Beetlejuice", I knew "Cars", but what the Hell the Middle Great-Grandchild was, I have no Clue or Idea?   My aren't we Pink tho', whatever she is?!  *LOL*   And Honestly, I could even be Wrong about what the Great-Grandson is... some Racecar Obsession is definitely going on with him right now tho', of that much I'm sure.  *Smiles*   And Great-Gramma Dawn is also wearing her "Beetlejuice" T-Shirt for Halloween, so I'm aligned with what the Oldest One is wearing as her Costume... we're Twinsies this Halloween then.  Great Minds Thinking alike and all.  *Smiles*   I just cheated and Googled the Pink Cat Super Hero Costume so I'll appear and give the Illusion I'm more Informed than I am.  *Winks*  And apparently it's Ginny from the Animated Series "SuperKitties", so there ya have it my more Mature Aged Friends, who were as Clueless as me and learning about it like I had to, who knew?  *Bwahahahaha*

The Niece {Pictured Below} who just had the Cancer Surgery just sent me a Pix too to show Aunt Dawn that she's doing okay and looking Fierce for Halloween.  I've been very Worried about her and if they caught it in time?  I also just got Word and Bad News from the Rez that my Cousin Wewokajanna, who JUST was Recovering from TB, now has Cancer of the Lungs and they failed to find that when they were Treating her for TB at the Indian Hospital, which, just makes me Angry at the level of indifference and neglect in the Tribal Hospitals that serve the Indigenous Community that they have to rely on becoz most are so impoverished.   And her Youngest Daughter, who is the same Age as The Daughter, also has it, had contracted the TB too, had Heart Failure, and now has Lung Cancer as well!!! 

 My Cousin has moved in with her Younger Sister since she requires Care and can no longer live Independently becoz of being so ill.  And in Tribal Society when you require Care, a Family Member takes you in, no Questions asked and without hesitation.   So, my Cousin DeAnna is Caring for her Older Sister now in her Home, and I'm not sure whose taken the Younger Daughter in who also can't live Independently, but probably other Family.  DeAnna Lost her Youngest Daughter recently to Disease, she was only in her 30's, the Indian Hospital didn't catch whatever it was in time for Treatment either.  Mortality Rates on Reservations is still way above the National Averages.   They live fully a Decade shorter than all other American Demographics.  Most don't make it to their 40's... and Childhood Mortality is still also quite high.   I'm relieved to see The Niece at least seems to be Recovering well and perhaps they got it all?

Miss Merry, I thought of you when I saw this Cartoon... being you hand out full sized Candy Bars.  *Winks*  I finished just tweaking the Front Porch with a Today's Halloween Score at SAVERS.  I'd gone early coz Princess T said to get Halloween now coz they'll take it off the Floor after Today and won't be discounting it, just Purging it, and so they're pushing everything Halloween related out onto the Floor Today to get it gone.  I was Jazzed to find these Two very Creative Homemade Decorations made from Halloween Masks and Foam Caulking.  I got 20% Off them and they were only just over $8 each before the Discount, so... SCORE!!!  Color me deliriously Happy! They'll need a little touchup for next Season but for this Season will be just Fine to add to the Front Porch's Vibe.  One a Scary Clown and the other a Werewolf.  They have Cement poured into the Base so are solid from easily tipping over on a windy day.  Right now it's glorious outside but I don't know if it will Hold for Tonight or not for the Hours of Trick-Or-Treating, coz Storms seem to be building to the South heavily over the Estrella Mountain Range.

 

I almost forgot I'd Scored a Leatherface Mask to add to the mix, so just put it on an Antique Floor Lamp.  Don't know that I'd want anyone in the Family to actually wear it lest it Scare the Bejesus out of Younger Kiddos and we don't intend to Traumatize anyone's Kids and ruin Halloween for them.  *LOL*   Our Porch Decor generally doesn't phase them so long as the Humans are in Costumes that are not Scary or just dressed normally.  I think movement in a Costume if it's a Scarier one is what Freaks the Kids Out... becoz then it doesn't seem so much like a Prop, it is Alive to them.  I was going to trek down to our Antique Mall to see if Staff wore Costumes but since they did bugger all leading up to Halloween, I decided why waste my Time or Gas?   And when I checked our FB Mall Page, well, I could see who participated, just a scant few Employees... Five to be exact... and they didn't make such a Big Deal out of it being Halloween to bring Customers flooding in either... Double Points... Meh.  No wonder Sales are in the shitter and flatlined prior to a major spending Holiday.  Disappointed and Underwhelmed.  I don't know if they even handed out Candy to Kids like in previous Years?

Back in the Day of the earlieer Years of the Mall they'd make a Big Deal out of every Major Holiday, do a lot for the Vendors, including Catering Meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And on Halloween would encourage all Vendors to come in, Dressed in Costume, and hand out Candy in front of their Spaces for all the Shopper's Kiddos.  So, we'd get slews of Kids coming for a sort of Indoor Trunk Or Treat safely getting a lot of Candy while their Parents Shopped all of Halloween Day and Night.  We have around 600 Vendors give or take, so, they could Score a lot of Candy if we had good Vendor participation, and we always did back then.  It was Fun and I'd go during the Day and then come Home to hand out the Candy at Night.  And Vendors who didn't have Children or lived in Retirement Communities that don't get Trick-Or-Treaters would cover the Evening handing out of Candies there in front of their Spaces and usually dress up in some kind of Costume... so they enjoyed it too, even if they wouldn't have if they just stayed at Home and did nothing.

Our Downtown Phoenix Location seemed to do even less coz they had nothing on their Social Media FB Page of Vendors or Employees wearing Costumes at all.  They did do a couple Vendor Videos with their Halloween Offerings and telling Customers how to properly Care for Vintage Halloween Masks so they'll last.  Especially the Latex variety of them, how to Store them and what not to put them on or near that would cause a Chemical imbalance and ruin them or shorten the life of them holding up over Time.   Both our Location and theirs has had a very high turnover of Paid Staff so I hardly know any of the ones that Work behind the Registers anymore.  And a high percentile of Vendor turnover too, tho' they do have a Two Year Waiting List so they don't seem to Care how many leave anymore either... and don't try to do much to Keep existing Vendors.  They're way too comfortable with having Newbies wanting to get in, tho' most never last any time at all before leaving, often Owing Money too.  It's the Nature of how the Industry transformed over Time tho'... and has Tanked overall... now most Antique Malls are run just as Glorified Landlords and know nothing of the actual Industry.

 

*******

Hoping in Real Time that Halloween doesn't get Rained Out coz I'm hearing loud Thunder now and it's only 3:10 p.m., so what happens by 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is a big Question Mark Weather-wise... Dawn... The Bohemian

October Hurricanes & Tornadoes... And More Family Dramas & Lamentations... Oh My!!!

 I hardly know how to start this Post coz I'm Heartbroken... Saturday was both a busy day and then a Sad one.  I helped The Son do all the exterior work around here before the big Storm rolled in so our Property looked good and that part was uplifting.  So much got done and visually it was evident that he and I had put so much work into it, without anyone else's help, just the Two of us accomplished so much!  I also got all my Errands done too, another Plus.  Then it went downhill from there.  Just before picking up Princess T from Work I got a Call from my Brother in Cali, whose 2.5 Years Younger than me, I knew it had to be Bad News, and... it was.

His Heart Function is down another 5% which is HUGE coz it's already been below 20% function, his Doctors don't even know how or why he's still Alive?!  So, they gave him yet another Expiration Date, he keeps Outliving all the previous ones he's had for over 30 Years now, since he's been Terminally Ill just that long, but just won't Die.  But this time I could hear the resignation in his Voice and acceptance that he probably might not last 'til Year's End at the most, and mebbe not even to the end of the Month, even tho' he has something around Halloween he wants to do one last time.  I tried to be encouraging and remind him we're not Dead 'til God says so.  But his Heart is failing fast now, he can only Sleep an Hour at a time coz he quits breathing and it startles him Awake!  What I see in his Eyes in his most recent Pixs to me I don't Like... he knows I See It, tho' you never tell someone you do.  He's like, Dawn, you Know... so, it's Okay, you don't have to say it.  I tried to hold it together and still sound convincingly Positive, I can remain Stoic when I have to. 

I Shake even Thinking about it or viewing these Pixs tho'.  He can't Lie Flat anymore, he can't Sleep even in a Sitting Position unless his Legs are dangling, if he straightens them out, he quits Breathing too!  He does best Standing, but he's so Weak he has to Sit.  They won't approve Oxygen on Medicaid so he's having a Celebrity Friends hook him up with some, his Celebrity Friends have already done so much that he knows they're the reason he still has any level of appropriate Care anymore.  He's getting referred to a Top Cardiologist and feels someone pulled Favors for even that, if not Secretly Funding it for him.  A good many Famous People are very Charitable but don't flaunt the fact they are.  They prefer to do so Anonymously, so even when we know who they are, we respect that desire to remain Private and Unknown for it. 

As if that wasn't bad enuf, knowing this time that my Brother is very near End of Life and it shows so I Know, with a Tornado Warning in effect for Metro Phoenix, which, we never have... Princess T insisted I take her to the Stores I Promised I would so she could get Rusty's Birthday stuff she was making a Gift Basket for!  Oy Vey, and I conveyed I didn't WANT to becoz of the Weather Warning Dangers not to be out and about unless you absolutely had to!  She threw a major Diva Dramatic Tantrum and I relented, which, turns out I shouldn't have.   Yes, we hit all the Stores she asked me to and the Storm never hit during it, but her Mood had gone completely Sideways by then and I knew Emotionally and Mentally, something was Wrong and definitely Up!!!

She bought me everything at T.J. Maxx and Home Goods that I was getting, which was generous, but her Mood was all over the place in a Bipolar Meltdown the likes she'd never displayed before!!!  By the time we got to TARGET she totally Melted Down in front of her Cashier and on the Phone to me coz I couldn't locate her and had already gone thru the Registers with my Purchases!  That set her Off in a way that turned out to be Emotionally Raw and very Hurtful to me, so Triggered me to get Angry about it, since, I'd done nothing to have her spew a bunch of Hurtful Words at me and blame me for literally EVERYTHING.  Boy she said a Mouthful and seemed quite Unhinged, which, that part was Scary, coz she's the most Sane one of all this Crew here usually.  Now she was acting like perhaps she's NOT!?!  Well, definitely displaying SHE'S NOT!  I'm Heartbroken Knowing this now... all Delusions she's Okay shattered to smitherines.

My main concern is that Schizophrenia sometimes shows up mostly when those Afflicted with it are in their 20's.  And out of the Blue, they're Fine until suddenly they are so NOT Fine!!!  So now I'm wondering, oh shit, has it shifted to her being a Schizophrenic too like her Older Brother and her Mother?!   I don't know I can Cope with Three Schizophrenics in One Household?  She really Turned on me so the Drive Home was tense and stressful, it was exhausting and so I went directly to Bed.  She had said she was buying us Lunch, but I took a Hard Pass, I wasn't taking that Show to our Favorite Restaurant where everyone knows us!!!  I'd rather go Hungry and so I did, just to get us back Home and disengage with her completely.  Always the best tactic with a Schizophrenic going Mental and detached from Reality, you cannot argue or debate their Delusions.

And she was having some Major Ones and I was concerned for her Welfare actually, if she didn't manage to snap out of it.  Coz she was spiraling quite Out of Control and Imagining all kinds of things that aren't True, but to her they were, so I just shut down and let her go on a tirade without opposition to it.  I talked to The Son and The Man about it this Morning, coz they knew something had gone very Wrong, she was vague about it and just said she'd had a "Bad Day", but this was way beyond just a Bad Day so I told them to just observe and make sure she's doing Okay, and have my Back if she goes completely Off Rails.  Coz when someone is Paranoid, almost anyone and everyone can become The Enemy to them and feel like a Threat to them.  You can't Talk someone out of a Hallucination they're having, it's Real to them.  Yesterday, for her, I was The Devil.

This Morning she went to Rusty's so I'm just Hopeful she's Calmed Down, more Rational, and doesn't go Mental at his House?  His Birthday is the 13th and I'd not want it to be ruined if she goes Off Rails with him too.  I think perhaps some of the problems they've been having is due to her Emotional Deregulation?   It can be a: I Love You, I Hate You, I Hate to Love You, I Love to Hate You scenario with Seriously Mentally Ill people sometimes.  She Isolates a lot and always has, which isn't good, but she dislikes being around People so much that it gives her Anxiety and Panic Attacks to be around other People.  So I never make her have interactions if she's not up to it.  And when she even has a hard time being around me, it's bad, coz she's always been my little Shadow.  So it just Hurt that she was viewing me as an Enemy for no apparent reason and out of the Blue.

There's a Category 5 Hurricane off the Coast of Baja, California right now and another Hurricane off the Coast of Florida, so there's catastrophic Weather Conditions clear up to Salt Lake City, Utah in effect right now for our Area again Today.  The Son chopped some overgrowth of our Lantana Bushes and I've got them in the Burn Pile now, along with some Dead Palm Fronds that flew off our Front Palms, but Thankfully didn't cause any damages to Vehicles.  So they're in the Burn Pile now too, for Today's Storm Carnage to dispose of.  Since we got everything Squared away Yesterday I wanted to clear up what the Storm created last Night too.  It's quite a Workout, I'm sweating more now than when I spend Two Hours Working Out at The Gym!!!  You've got to keep on top of it constantly with Home and Yard Maintenance.  But, other that that everything is Swell.  *Bwahahahahahah*

I thought about Pricing some Inventory while it's Cooler and Breezy out there and I can get into the She Shed.  But now the High Winds have begun I won't be doing that now.  So, my Todaying for Today is over at 10:14 a.m. already!  If the Weather Warnings weren't Severe Today I had considered going to The State Fair as a much Needed "Me Day", but, too risky with the Weather Alerts in effect.  Nobody has to Work Today so I am hunkering down here at Home instead.  But, before things had gone completely Sideways with The Granddaughter during our Shopping Trip I did get to Photograph some good Halloween that "Home Goods" and "TJ Maxx" had, very nice Selection still and she bought me the above Fabric and Wood Pumpkin {directly Above} and some Autumnal Snacks while she was in Generous Mode before she Turned on me and I was suddenly The Devil.  *Eye Roll and Sighs*  I don't think I'm The Devil, but convincing someone in a Psychosis Paranoid Delusion that you aren't, is impossible, so you shouldn't even try to.  She says I'm Mean, and I told her I'm Nice until someone gives me a reason not to be, then I can be Mean and Formidable when I simply HAVE TO BE.  I don't consider myself to be a Mean Person tho'.

 It's the only way to keep Order and everyone Safe here in their compromised Mental Conditions, if they have at least some Reverential Fear that you will not be the least bit vulnerable and are Strong enuf to Deal with them even when they go Crazy.  The Son feels confident he can/could restrain everyone but his Nephew, if he had to, and if they pose danger to themselves or others.  He feels I can still restrain The Girls, if necessary and without hurting them, or them hurting me, but probably not my Grandson, I know he's probably Right?   I told him this is why it was critical for him to get and stay Sober, I Need backup now that everyone, including The Man, are in such deteriorated Mental Condition and often feeling defensive when they Imagine the rest of us are out to get them or they imagine us to be Unsafe.  He knows he might have to be my Heavy, when Drunk he couldn't handle his Sister becoming Violent and trying to Strangle him.  He still has all the Marks she left on him, his Neck and his Face, she's just missing a Tooth.

 And he knows he reacted poorly and ended up Hurting her too. Sober I know he could restrain her better for assisting me and would never have struck her when restraining her was impossible.  Otherwise they could be Institutionalized, or worse, if you rely on the Authorities to Help you in a Mental Health Crisis.  Coz the Above Meme says best how our Country is Devolving and a lot of our Law Enforcement are behaving rather unpredictably as well so I don't always Trust them to Protect or Serve coz the Vetting is not what it should be.  Police Violence and ICE Violence are escalating and not becoming better or attracting people who should carry a Badge and a Weapon, that concerns me, a lot.  So does how the Violence Prone and Unhinged Drunken Hegseth is recruiting our Military and Purging Decent Military Personnel in record numbers... and removing competent Leaders in our Military so it will go Unchallenged.  He is practically having Orgasms on National TV just Talking about his Agenda now!  He has a Lust for the Blood and Donnie Two Dolls has a Lust for the Money... it's a very dangerous Combo and catastrophic Partnership.

At TARGET I got a Green Skeleton on Sale 35% Off.  I really wanted the life size Metal Skeleton Below at "Home Goods" holding a huge Candy Bowl, but by the time I transferred Money to get it on Sunday Morning and went back, they'd Sold it and only had One at any of their Stores... dammit!  If The Granddaughter hadn't been Acting the Fool Emotionally during our whole Shopping Trip, I'd of bought it while we were there and had her cover it and pay her back... ah well, now I don't have to spend that amount.  Tho' Today they'd reduced everything by a lot so probably why it Sold and I could have gotten it much cheaper if I'd gotten there on time and knowing they'd be marking everything down this Morning!  Shit... Fuck... Dammit!!!  *LOL* The Woman giving me Side Eye in the Pix Below, the Security Guard asked her to wait a Second coz I was taking a Pix of the Skeleton and she pushed past anyway then seemed to get annoyed I took it anyway.  

Well, Fuck her, if you can't wait 5 Seconds and intentionally Photo Bomb someone's Pix you deserve to be on Social Media then without your consent and looking like a Total Karen!   She DOES look like the Typical Karen Demographic Poster Child tho', No?  Blonde, White, Privileged Acting and Feeling Entitled, Resting Bitch Face, looking for a lame reason to be a total Karen in Public.  Can I speak to the Manager!  *LMAO*   I Laughed as I snapped the Pix too... and then Princess T and the Security Guard Laughed, and she knew we were Laughing at her so she Stormed out in an Indignant Huff.  *LOL*  He was a nice jolly plump pleasant sociable Older Retired Looking Security Guard.  So, anyway, I guess that was an excellent Price for the item coz Online they can go for well over a Grand... dammit... shouldn't have Waffled on it... and now I have Non-Buyer's Remorse about it.  It's about 4 Ft. High and Solid Metal Cast... so it's not as if I thought it wouldn't be worth it and even Princess T, tho' she was deteriorating Emotionally, said it would be probably Hundreds more anywhere else.  I'll have major regrets of not getting it when I had the chance.  

 

I did see some items at the 2nd "Home Goods" Location I went to tho' that they didn't have in the first one, mostly Photographed them but did pick up some inexpensive items they didn't have at this one that had the Skeleton I didn't Score.   And all their Halloween/Autumn Seasonal was now on Sale too, so I didn't Waffle this time on what was marked down coz it would surely not be there if I changed my Mind later.  She who Hesitates Loses.  They also had Candy that The Man and I really like such as Salt Water Taffy in 18 different Exotic Flavors and Soft Nougat with Almonds, Papaya & Pineapple.  Kiddos aren't as fond of those refined Gourmet Candy so we usually have them all to ourselves.  I also got Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt and Autumnal Flavored Jelly Belly Jelly Beans.

I got a 6-pac of Halloween Dish Towels marked down on Sale, this one Pictured was darker Black than the Pix shows it and had Two other different plainer Towels in the 3-Pac, I got Two 3-Pacs of them.  And the Charlie Brown Halloween Party Ceramic Serving Dish, which is Rectangular Shape, it wasn't on Sale but they only had 3 of them so I didn't Waffle this time.  I Love the Charlie Brown Cartoon Classic for Halloween, one of my all time Favorites.  And the Graphics on this Plate are Wonderful of the Halloween Party from that Cartoon Classic.  People were Buying Up Halloween like Crazy tho', the Lines were long at both Locations and just about everyone had Halloween Merch in their Carts.  They already have Christmas rolled out too, but Halloween right now was what I saw everyone rushing to Buy.  Had I hit a Location earlier I probably could have Scored everything I wanted, but I didn't even think about "Home Goods". 

I got a Notification on my Phone that a Tornado had Touched Down about Two Miles away so I hustled Home, we'll see if one did or not if the Local News covers it?  Sometimes you don't get Coverage tho' and I was glad to receive Tornado Notifications on my Brand of Phone coz not everyone's Brand of Phone was receiving them like I was, which is just Weird that it depended on your Type of Phone and possibly your Carrier too?  I have T-Mobile and one of their Cheapest Phones, seems everyone I know who has Fancier Expensive Phones... and/or other Carriers, wasn't getting the Notifications.  I had to Share my Notifications via Social Media so they knew I wasn't imagining or making it up that we had Warnings being Issued.  They were shocked that their Phone and/or their Carrier wasn't Notifying them.  I don't know what to say about that, just glad mine was.  Coz that's important shit to know if there's Life Threatening Weather coming and no Early Warning Systems in place for such things in your Area, which usually doesn't get Tornadoes or Hurricane Force Winds at all, but, now is!!!  And you know there's no Public Shelters either to Evacuate to!!!

 This Throne was Wonderful at the 2nd "Home Goods" Location and not at the other Location.  But Resin and Huge, so don't know where you'd Store it Off-Season or if it wouldn't damage with what it was made out of?   A lot of their Resin smaller Decorations already had damage where Customers had been careless or reckless about manhandling them.  But the Skull and Chain Barricades were wonderful and Metal, but Priced separately and still Spendy even at Reduced Price.  I must say that "Home Goods" had some of the more impressive Halloween Decorations and Products of every other place I'd visited... and decent Prices on it too.  And they had a lot of the Coffees that usually you only find at an Import Specialty Store too, so I Photographed some of them coz the Graphics on the Packaging are Cool.

The Bones Coffee Company didn't have any of these loose Flavored Coffee in the Capsules so I didn't Buy any.  Tho' I was intrigued enuf by the Irish Cream flavor that since Bailey's did have the Capsules in their Brand of Irish Cream Coffee I did Buy a Box of that to try.  The other flavors Bones put out sounded terrible tho', so I might only have tried their Irish Cream, I don't want my Coffee tasting like Cotton Candy, Glazed Jelly Donuts or fucking Fruity Cereal, Yuk!  *LMAO*  But the Graphics on their Packaging were worth some Blog Fodder Seasonal Imagery.  *Smiles*  And now I have some replacement Skeletons I got on Sale this Season since our Old Ones are literally falling apart and becoming just Body Parts now.  *Smiles*

This was the last Green One left at TARGET and I don't know if he Glows in the Dark, but I Loved the Patina they put on him which looked like Moss or Algae growing on his Bones.  I should have picked up some that SAVERS had when I had the chance, they had a good assortment of them that Sold Out in a matter of 2 Days.  I Photographed them but thought for Secondhand they were Priced too high, but it's only coz I hadn't yet Priced what they were going for Retail this Season, which was considerably higher.  But, waiting until they were marked down Retail New I still got them at the SAVERS price point and got ones I liked better, so, it was all Good.  If they get marked down even more closer to Halloween I may pick up a couple more to replace my rapidly disintegrating Old ones.  They can still Display damaged and used for the sum of their Body Parts as Decor.

The "Anna Lee" Collection has gone up by around $5 each since last Year too, everything has gone up considerably and I am noticing the increases being substantial.   The "Anna Lee" was around $15 each last Year and now is a Penny below $20 for the least expensive ones.  I used to Collect Anna Lee and had enuf to Decorate an entire Christmas Tree at one point, but Sold Off the Collection and only kept the few Halloween ones I owned.  I still like the Halloween ones best and they make more of them than back in the 1970's.  They never were inexpensive and used to only be Sold at "Dillard's" Dept. Store in the 1970's locally.

I made myself a cuppa that "Bailey's Irish Cream" flavored Coffee by Bailey's and it was horrid!!!  So, I spent too much for some Coffee by a Company that makes good Liquor but sucks at making a brand of Coffee allegedly in that flavor!   It didn't taste anything like the Liquor, at all... and it wasn't even a pleasant Taste of whatever the fuck it was passing for a Gourmet Coffee either!  I. did. NOT. Like. It!   So, I'm putting Bailey's on Blast for their piss poor excuse for their Brand of Coffee, it's a total rip-off, don't Buy it, unless you want to have a most awful Cup of Coffee you've probably ever tasted... Yes, it was THAT bad!  And now I have several Capsules of the damned stuff so mebbe The Son and The Niece will drink it so I won't have to throw it out and feel it was a total Waste of Seven Dollars?  *Le Sigh*  Disappointment and there was no fixing it either, I tried with some Flavored Coffee Creamer, there was no disguising how Bad it tasted tho'!!!

And what Frosted me is I could have spent only Five Bucks and gotten a Box of Starbucks Brand Capsule Coffee in any damned flavor they make and gotten my Money's worth of a decent tasting Coffee, cheaper!  But, there are some other very popular Coffee Brands that I think make a shitty cuppa Coffee, that actually ARE in the Coffee Business.  Bailey's I think is just trying something they aren't in the Business of and should probably stick to their Strength of making Liquor and not Coffee.  But, I also think Dutch Bros. makes shitty Coffee and yet they always have Lines around the Block at their little Box-Like Kiosks they Sell it out of, more expensively than most competitors, so, I guess it's all subjective???  *Shrugs*  The Gourmet Coffee Biz is booming and so many are springing up now that I never heard of and haven't tried yet... and those few I have tried, who have Locations, well, mostly have just been Okay and One Visit was enough for me.  I will not be a repeat Customer.  One almost killed me coz they put 10 Shots of Espresso in their Coffee without telling you... it's enuf to make your Heart race and then stop!  I wonder how many Customers have dropped Dead?

I watched all my Halloween Shows last Night and bagged Halloween Candies to hand out to the Trick-Or-Treaters.  I decided it would be a mistake to let them choose, since many kids dawdle and can't make up their Minds and it might annoy the Parents and stack Kids up like Cordwood.  So best to Bag Treats coupled with the Halloween Toy handouts in a Zip Lock Bag with Halloween Graphics that I got from TARGET in pacs of 20.  Each Bag had Two Cute Graphics on it, of Ghosts or Skeletons or Candy Corn, 10 Bags of each Print in a 20 Pac Bag.  Each Bag held the Skeletons Print, then each Bag had One of the other Two Prints in it too.  *See Below*  I had Fun doing it and The Niece said it looked like Fun.  I have 40 and don't know it will be enough but I have plenty of Candy left and may just pick up another Pac of the Bags to keep pace with how many Kids we got last Year.  Each Year we get more Kids, so, either our reputation for Decorating, being in Costumes and handing out more Candy than average has gotten around, or, more Young Families are moving in... could be some of both.  *Smiles*

The Niece said Word does get out of where's the best places to go on Halloween Night and which places to avoid.  And since most Kids don't Walk their whole Route anymore, Parents drive them to the best places and some even Decorate their Vehicles.  Here in the Mini Farms Community some will have a Hayride and just bring all the Kids on the Flatbed filled with Hay Bales to sit on and lit up with Light Strands, then drive slowly around our Community, which is Safer since our Community has no Sidewalks and no Street Lights, has Irrigation Ditches, some of which are filled with Water, and you can't see a Hand in front of your Face after Dark.  Makes for great Star Gazing within the City, but not so Safe for Walks.  Our Street is the only one lit or with a Sidewalk coz we are on a Frontage Road/Main Road facing Outwards.  There's probably about 12 Mini Farms Wide on our Street of at least an Acre each, so a lot of walking between Properties too.  A lot of Mini Farms with Younger Kids have big Halloween Parties on their Acreage, then take them around on the Hayrides to all the Neighbors.

  

I think Tonight I'm gonna ask The Man if he wants to drive around after Dark in our Old Neighborhood where the Villa McManse is to see Halloween Decorations?  That's one thing that Community did with a flourish, Halloween, so I was glad my Grandkids got to experience that part of living there, Halloween everyone went all out and was more Neighborly.  If only they could have been less pretentious and Neighborly like that all Year long and not just on Halloween, it would have changed the whole Spirit of the Community IMO.  I was Surprised that many of the Fundie Families there weren't sticklers about Fundamentalist Demonic Panic like a lot of Far Right Religions tend to be about Halloween.  They would allow their Kiddos to participate and wear Costumes the Family felt were appropriate, and go door to door receiving Candy, and handed it out at their Homes, which, was nice for all the Children regardless of what Religion they practiced.

  

I personally never understood how one could equate a Child dressing up like a Super Hero Comic Book Character, Clown, Disney Character, or Princess, and going to your Neighbors to receive Candy was remotely considered Demonic anyway?  *Eye Roll*  Being discerning about what the Costume represents doesn't bother me, I never wanted my Young Girl Children to wear anything that looked too Sexy.   Which is difficult when a Cute Kid can look Amazing and like a Femme Fatal even dressed as a She Devil that has a Costume down to her Wrists and Ankles!!  But, Princess T still Rocked it even as a 12 Year Old in a way that made her Grandpa, Brother and Uncle wanna chaperone her anyway... lest Male Devils take too much Interest.  *LOL*  They were among some of my all time favorite Halloween Pixs of her tho' coz she was really Lovin' that Costume and had begged us to let her be a She Devil.  Coz Dreamy David from her Grade School was gonna be a Devil and she wanted to Match him coz they were going Trick-Or-Treating together and had little Crushes on each other.  *Smiles*

 The Man was like, well, she can only wear it if her Brother and/or her Uncle accompanies them.  *LOL, he's so Protective of his Girls... and her Brother and Uncle are Protective of her too... so... she had Chaperones for the Night... when we Moved here her Gay Boy Posse were her Protectors and Body Guards... Smiles*  She had her little Boy Crush at the time, named David, dressed as a Devil too so they'd Match, and she was Taller than him so spent most of the Night stooping to look not so Tall.  *LOL*    They were Adorable tho' and just Kids back then, so he'd do goofy shit to get her attention, as 12 Year Old Boys do.  But The Young Prince warned me that ALL Boys at around Puberty are Dogs so she Needs a Chaperone Gramma, she's too Pretty and Mature looking for her Age.  *Smiles*  I think David was the only other Hispanic Kid in her Grade School besides her in that Community.  At our Historic Home in the Old Barrio the Demographic was about 95% Hispanic... so it was a difficult transition for The G-Kid Force and that Uppity Affluent White Bread Community was very Racist, so I was more worried about Hate Crimes than any 12 Year Old Boy of Color like David.  He was Sweet and a Good Kid.

She will make Rusty Dress in Costume even tho' he probably doesn't wanna, since he's in his Mid 20's.  *Ha ha ha*  If she's in Costume every Guy with her has to be in Costume tho', it's not open for Debate or Protest... or the Real Devil in her will come out to Play!  *LOL*  Her Bipolar Friend there, Crazy Pamela, once threw a Bible at her at a Sleepover and The Young Prince just Deadpanned, well, it was the Right Book... my Sister is Pre-Demonic.  *Bwahahahaha*   Her Gay Boy Posse always obliges to Dress Up or do anything she wants.  Timmy once borrowed some of her Wardrobe to Dress in Drag, he looked Adorable in her Little Black Dress!   She was kinda Mad that he had better looking Legs in it than she did.  *Bwahahahaha* 

 He's a Pretty Boy, so could pull it off splendidly I must say.  I'm pretty sure some wouldn't even have known it was supposed to be a Costume, coz he looked Stunning?!  *Smiles*  She did his Makeup for him, coz, unlike her Brother, he's not worn Makeup habitually or Cross Dressed very often or presented as a Female.  Princess T jokes that Timmy is a 'Straight Gay' coz most people don't even know he is Gay.  He's not Closeted, but, he appears Masculine enuf to fly under the Gaydar.  Her Brother is often mistaken as a Female even when he's presenting as a Male.   Mostly she and Timmy as they got Older liked to dress up in Silly Onesie Pajamas that look like Animals, Cows, Bunnies, Black Cats, Llamas, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Sheep... and then they'd wear them as Jammies after Halloween so they'd get their Money's Worth out of the ensembles.  *Smiles*

The Young Prince always had his Girl Posse, which included Sayde, who has been his Girlfriend too recently, when he is Switch Hitting as a Gender Fluid Person.  He doesn't mind whether his Romantic Relationships are Male, Female, Straight or any part of the LGBTQ+ Community.   So, some of these Girls were Girlfriends even back when everyone knew he was not Straight and never pretended to be.  They were tough Years for him in these Years of being grinded thru The System as a Ward of the State and trying to get their Adoption Approved.  Living in a Homophobic, Racist Community in Affluent Subdivision Hell, which both Kids and I HATED.  The Man was the only one the Community accepted by the Adults there.  Kids there were great tho', not yet polluted or tainted by their Parents Biases and Prejudices or Hatreds.  Some of them never would embrace their Parents way of Being and wanted more exposure to those of us different than themselves.  Which can only be a good thing to eliminate "Othering" and move towards Social Harmony and Unity. 

  So as soon as I got the G-Kid Force Adopted, which was the point of Selling my Historic Home in the Barrio, which they'd never get approved by an Adoption Board, and Buying the McManse to wow and impress the Adoption Board that we were living in a Neighborhood of Million Dollar Listings, I flipped that Villa and moved here instead.  *Whew*  The Kiddos kept all the Friends they'd made there, they were Popular in spite of the Biases of much of the Community's Adults.  Like I said, just about every Child I met there were great Kids and had to sneak around behind their Parents Backs in some Cases in order to even be Friends with our Grandkids.  You know, lest the Color or the Gay rub off on them, Heaven Forbid, coz that's how folks like that actually Think and Believe.  *Eye Roll* Even their Children knew better and resisted the Twisted and Hateful Indoctrination they were being Force Fed at Home.   There were some Good Families, but few and far between, like Crazy Pamela's Family, but most of the other Families were really screwed up and very, very MAGA.  I felt Sorry for their Kiddos. 

The Son and The Man didn't like the Chili I made this time coz I put Veggies in it.  I often hide Veggies in it but this time they could SEE the Veggies and so took issue, it tasted just Fine.  Anyway, since my 82 Year Old Neighbor Sylvia had made us some Chicken Pot Pie the other day and have her Son Rob bring it over, I brought over some of the Chili for them, which they appreciated.  I got to talk to Sylvia and get to see Amber's Grandson, the Child TJ Fathered by her 26 Year Old Daughter.  He's a Beautiful Baby and so Happy and so good, Amber's Daughter seems to be a very capable Mother and clearly TJ's Parents Adore this very late life Grandchild, they have Great-Grandchildren who are Older than this Baby.  So he was an Uncle at Birth to all of his much Older Half-Siblings Children.  All of TJ's other Children are Middle Aged and some have almost Grown Kids already.

When I went to TARGET to get more of the Treat Bags they had the Eyeball Wreath I wanted from the Popular Hyde and Eek Line marked down by Four Dollars so I got it for Six Bucks.  I got Six of the Pumpkin Shaped Votive Battery Operated Candles with a Pumpkin Carver and Book too {See Below}... and got the Halloween Harvest Mix which is New this Year, as were the Harvest Flavor Jelly Belly Beans and Salt Water Taffy in 18 Flavors.   We are the Weirdos that LIKE the Candy Corn and it's Harvest Mix Candy Shapes Flavors.  The Spooky Graveyard Halloween Shapes are Cute too and the Flavors nice, it's New from Brachs, I've never seen them before so I got a Bag of them.  That's the loose Candy we keep for ourselves and Guests.

 

The Niece snapped the Pix below of me making up Goodie Bags with the Candy and Toys last Night, while we watched "Halloween Wars".  The Living Room now looks Tidier, I Promise.  *LOL*  And I've got close to 80 Bags filled and don't expect many more Trick-Or-Treaters than that.  We have extra Candy if we do get slammed this Year with more Kids coming.  But the Pre-Made Bags I'd gotten Four Pacs of 20 Bags with the Halloween Graphics and only had a scant few Skeleton Graphics Bags left over unfilled when I ran out of Halloween Toys to put in them with the Candy, so I just stopped when I'd used up all the Toys and Jack O'Lantern filled Eggs we were giving out with the Candy.  I had Fun filling up the Bags and we always have Fun handing them out Halloween Night and seeing all the Kiddies in Costume.

*******

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