Before and After

A few weeks ago, I gloated about Mother Nature finding her way through the plastic sheeting and rocks to sprout patches of green grass peeking out, saying there wasn’t a thing Management or the Landscapers could do about it.

Turns out, they didn’t have to do anything about it, because the sun and lack of water fried the patches of green to dust.

Before

Before

After

Heading out this afternoon, I was met with a lovely new view when I opened the door.

Before

After

When I blogged about my disappointment in Audrey the Venus Flytrap Sculpture being 25 inches, rather than 10 feet tall, commenter Linda in Kansas suggested, “Is there any way you can raise the skull planter up a bit which would help a lot?”

Good idea, thought I, worth a try, and my mind immediately went to the inexpensive and natural-looking way we used, back in the day, to prop items up, make plant stands ……… bricks.

Like this ………

Then, thinking about how much work would be involved in that endeavor, I quickly dropped the idea, began researching modern day plant stands.

Commenter JanF suggested, "dark and discrete which will fade into the background and thus not distract from the skull etc".

"Discrete …… fade into the background" doesn't exactly match my aesthetics of skeletons, voodoo dolls, braids, bright red lipstick that one can see me coming from a mile away, sporty way of dressing, not to mention the eye-catching bright red flamboyant patio furniture.

I went looking for "dark and scary", saw a few gothic plant stands — none that would add much height, switched to looking at tree stumps, and landed on this 18.9" natural wood hand-carved stump that looked gnarly enough and tall enough to get the job done.

Before

After

Looking at it from the outside, though Audrey doesn't stand out, appears to be a supporting character, at least the skeleton is now visible.

My new neighbor/White-Haired Lady, insofar as patio decor, is showing a maximalist side. Obviously won't be decorating for Halloween or Christmas because there's no extra space. I'm the minimalist ……… holding my space open for Holiday decor.

Oh, and P.S., I later repositioned the skeleton to be facing outwards, appearing to look at those on the walkway, rather than sideways.

Size Does Matter and the $50 Mistake

Color me disappointed that 25 inches wasn’t larger than it was pictured to be.

The metal Audrey Venus Flytrap Sculpture that I ordered middle of June, for the skeleton planter, arrived yesterday.

Why so long for Audrey to arrive, you ask.

Though there were many vendors of exactly the same Audrey that I could have ordered from, received in days, I happened to unwittingly choose the vendor shipping from China …… customs and all that.

No matter as Venus did finally arrive, but I have to say I’m disappointed.

Though all metal Audreys indicate "25 inches high", the images depict a plant so tall and stately, with ferocious looking bulbs, that my eyes were tricked into thinking 25 inches was just that …… tall, stately, giant of a plant.

Alas, unpackaging Audrey, seeing how small she looked, how not ferocious her bulbs looked, I thought there’d been a mistake …… I measured her.

No mistake. Twenty-five inches she was.

What I thought I was getting

What I got

I’ve always heard that the camera adds 10 pounds. Seems the sellers’ cameras also adds 10 feet.

One needs a microscope to see her, but she’s a cute little thing, so I’ll live with the disappointment.

Also in yesterday's mail was confirmation that the medical device Twin 1 had gifted me, when I ended up in the ER last year, was "deactivated/account cancelled" and good riddance to it because I didn’t like how the company ran its business …… the result of a $50 fee I viewed as a mistake …… no way to run an overpriced business.

When Twin 1 first contracted with the company, I thought it not only excessive, but the device severely overpriced at, if I recall correctly $159 per month, when I could call 911 for free. However, if my wearing the pendant made Twin 1 worry less …… you know, I went along with the program.

Who knew I wasn’t the one to be worried about 💔 😭 …… Twin 1 is gone, I’m still here.

When it took no time for the pendant to break, I began to think not only overpriced, but also cheaply made.

Worse still was, when I called Customer Service for a replacement pendant only to be told it would cost Twin 1 an additional $50.

Outrageous, thought I …… an additional $50 when the pendant was cheaply made, so easy to break and the system was overpriced to begin with. I requested a cancellation of the whole thing.

"It's a 3-year contract, no cancellation", said Customer Service. So, I accepted I was locked in for 3-years and, if still breathing at the end of the term, I’d tell Twin 1 to not renew.

When Twin 1 passed away, Twin 2 called to say she was taking over the contract.

Expressing my dissatisfaction with the company’s business practices, I asked Twin 2 not to, that her sister was the only signatory on the contract, she’s no longer here, I’d like to see just how that company could make me, or anyone else, continue to pay, which meant the company was essentially SOL, would have no choice but to cancel.

Sure enough, when Twin 2 declined taking over the contract, Customer Service asked "Is there anyone else that would sign?" and when she said "no", they made arrangements for the device to be picked up by Fed Ex, sent me that confirmation of deactivation/account cancelled.

Now the thing is …… had they not been so greedy, replaced the pendant at no cost, I would not have wanted to cancel the contract in the first place, would not have been opposed to Twin 2 taking over.

So, all in all, because of a greedy business practice, that company lost $5,724 dollars ($159 per month for 36 months) over $50.

So now, instead of continuing with that medical device, Twin 2 has gifted me with something much more practical …… a cremation package, LOL; saying, "The plan is to keep your energy, because you have really good energy and, when I'm ready to let you go I'll plant you under a tree, watch the tree grow into something beautiful" 💗🤗.

It’s Too Darn Hot!

Just stepping outside to dispose of trash, check mail be like ……

That is all.

Happy 250th Birthday America

We seniors celebrated the 4th on Thursday with fried chicken, potato salad, slaw, baked beans, pasta salad, deviled eggs, dinner rolls, fresh fruit, chips, sodas, pie and ice cream for dessert (I settled for a few bites of cantaloupe and strawberries), all of which we, as a community, put together for ourselves since Management did didley squat and should be ashamed of themselves.

The event netted 134 photos for the residents’ facebook page, which took me until 10 pm that night to resize, organize, post.

Lu showed up, as did Dream Lover.

Neither gave the other any mind whatsoever …… made a point to act like neither saw the other.

Lu was fine with chill, seemed to be charming another resident I’d never seen before, but who tells me he’s been here a few years. However, I could tell Dream Lover was uncomfortable with the frigid air between them …… hurt.

I have mixed feelings …… Lu has a right to live her own life however she wants to live it and with whom. A right to value her time and attention, put a price tag on it by wanting a man that can occasionally take her out to dinner, not a guy who can only lay around in her unit, keep her company.

I’m reminded of the 1970’s slogan, "Nobody Rides for Free. Gas, Grass or Ass". There has to be reciprocity in some form or fashion, each bringing something to the table or eventually resentment sets in, becomes like what do I need you in my life for.

Though ignoring him is harsh, Lu has no obligation to safeguard Dream Lover’s feeling by not showing interest in someone else.

On the other hand, when I see the hurt in Dream Lover’s eyes, I'm sad for him, but always think back on the hurt I saw in Faith’s eyes when he broke up with her, arrogantly began pursuing others right in front of her, and see his current situation as Karmic Retribution, living it as he’s given it.

So, anyway, Meat Man — formerly Handsome Man, who rarely attends events, stuck his head in the door … lured by the smell of Fried Chicken no doubt; and seeing me, he stayed for the entire — chatting with me.

Coming to the same conclusion I had …… that the rent increase is the result of our paying for the painting redo, he announced this would be his last year living here because of the $94.

Rents are outrageous all over, so I highly doubt it …… that is unless he can charm some woman into letting him into her life and home.

Painted Rock Lady, who has been in/out of the hospital last few years, mostly for hurting herself, and was one of the residents who’d fallen due to rocks on the walkway, had me in stitches over a sign she’s posted on her walker to proudly display she hasn't hurt herself/has been incident free for 32 Days.

Crafty Lady, and the organizers were so busy with running games for the seniors, giving out prizes for winners, and getting the meal together, that no one noticed I’d pimped the tee …… or if they did notice, none said.

I pared the tee with the same old patriotic leggings I made back in 2014, and exchanged my signature gold hoop earrings for the patriotic earrings Talker’s sister gifted me last year.

Hat borrowed from
my Little Hispanic friend for the photo

That’s it for events around here unless and until the next major holiday, or Management decides something should be done with the money that's been budgeted for activities, other than giving it to Kesha for potato chips.

Pimp My Tee

I think it was last Friday when, while sitting on the couch, I spotted a patch of red through the patio window.

Made me think of a horror movie I saw where, much like here, the powers that be had removed that which was colorful from the community’s landscape … plus the color red specifically was so forbidden that a monster appeared and someone’s life would be ended over it.

It’s probably just a matter of time before our monster — management and/or the Edward Scissorhands Landscaper, finds a reason to remove the colorful tree.

THEN, as I got out of bed this morning, I spied patches of what looked like green grass peeking out through the rocks below.

They dug up the grass, put plastic sheeting in place, covered with rocks, and nature is still finding a way through.

I find that hilarious and can’t imagine what our monster can do about it.

Yesterday was a hard day due to a doctor’s appointment I didn’t ask for, the doctor’s office schedule the appointment with my primary for no good reason other than to piss me off and piss me off they did by sending me messages, a day or so before the appointment, under the guise of Personal Action Plan, wanting to know the main reason for the visit.

After ignoring the first two messages, only to receive a third, I responded "Hell if I know", because THEY scheduled the appointment and then had the nerves to bug me about the nature of the visit, though I knew the nature was just checking in … a cattle call that I didn’t want to participate in but had to if I wanted to continue getting blood pressure medication, which is about all the medical provider is good for.

Unnecessary cattle call it turned out to be, because all the doctor did was take my blood pressure, stethoscope my chest, send me down to the Lab for a blood test, all of which she usually just sends me a notice to get taken care of, no hassle no visit required.

But the thing was, this appointment, in addition to being a waste of my time, was scheduled for the primary's office at the main medical center, where parking is a nightmare.

In fact, I spent an estimated 25 or so minutes, along with a mass of other vehicles, trying to find parking, got so frustrated that myself said to myself, "Screw it", drove out of the medical center area, hit the streets and began driving back home, but saw a shopping center, pulled in, parked by an Aldi’s Grocery Store, walked down Sierra Blvd to Valley Blvd, down Valley Blvd to Medical Center Parkway, crossed the parking area to the doctor’s building, a 20-minute hike, arriving late of course and just waiting for the receptionist to say "you’re late" so I could explode.

Fortunately, scheduling was behind, no one said anything to set me off until the doctor’s nurse took my weight and blood pressure.

Weight could have been better, but was better than I expected, considering I’ve not exercised or dieted to make up for lack of exercise; but the parking situations and having to hike had so frustrated me that my BP was 178 over I forget.

The nurse said, "I’m going to have to refer you to the blood pressure clinic".

"NO!" I yelled, "IT’S BECAUSE I’M UPSET I SPENT 25 MINUTES LOOKING FOR PARKING, GOT SO FRUSTRATED THAT I HEADED HOME, ENDED UP PARKING BY ALDI'S, HAD TO WALK HERE AND PROBABLY WILL NEED TO CALL A CAB TO TAKE ME BACK TO MY CAR!"

I was expecting a call for "Security", but she instead wisely backed off with "okay" and had me wait another 15 minutes in the outside waiting area before calling me back into a room for the doctor, during which time I took the extra BP pill I carry with me for just in case situations, so I wouldn't have a stroke in the doctor's office or on the hike back to the jeep.

Having calmed down by the time the doctor arrived to prove the visit was indeed a waste of my time, I was down to 152/78, calm and back to my friendly self as the Lab later took blood. It helped that when the Lab's check-in person asked me to verify my birthdate, and said, "OMG You look Great" when she realized I was 82.

Done with the Lab, I hiked back to the jeep and, once back home, the memory of having wasted my time and that horrible parking experience behind me, clocked in at 105/48.

The plan for today was to do absolutely nothing. Just rest from yesterday, because yesterday took a lot out of me; but then Crafty Lady asked me to come down to the Community Room, where Kesha had them playing bingo, to pick up a t-shirt she’d made for me.

The resident’s 4th of July party is this Thursday the 2nd. Crafty Lady has made t-shirts for all the organizers, with logos she matched to our personalities, including one for me as the group’s photographer.

I didn’t dawdle in the Community Room … just took photos of the other personalized logos for the residents’ Facebook page, brought mine upstairs, tried it on.

Didn’t like it — it’s white, and white is not flattering to my body type … It adds pounds to my overall frame and inches to my ta tas, which need lessening rather than enhancing, plus I felt restrained in the tee, couldn’t breathe, so I decided to pimp it. The bougies call it Upcycling these days.

Whether pimp or upcycle, a lot can go wrong … I’ve had more failures than successes and was taking a big risk I’d mess up, not be able to wear the tee on Thursday, would have to admit to Crafty Lady and the others that I screwed it up.

A little scared, I went for it, starting with cutting the sleeves completely off.

from this

to this

That's more like it. Trying it on, the tee felt better already … looked like a muscle tee; but still needing that collar off my neck, I folded the tee in half, cut a little triangle out at the neck area.

to this

Pimped up nicely. However, as soon as I find my marking pen … which I had in my hand at one point in the process, and somehow magically disappeared, I’ll use the marker to mark where I can cut the V into a U.

In other t-shirt news, I've added two new ones to my collection.

Store Bought

Image clipped from internet,
ironed on with Transfer

I Knew It!

The painters removed the orange cones and no parking signs yesterday afternoon, so the jeep is back to its regular spot.

Hopefully this means the painting project is done and over with, but as I was yesterday doubting that and wondering what fresh new hell Management was planning for us, little Knock Knock was at my door.

That’s three days in a row she knocked just to give me a hug — which is kinda nice, but kinda not; and this time, when I asked where her grandma was, she said Talker was sitting with the girls on the benches by the laundry room, discussing notices of a $94 rent increase being attached to doors.

There it is, thought I, the fresh new hell I was wondering Management would come up with.

Said notice hasn’t made it to my door yet, but there’s no doubt it’s coming and I’m suspicious of the timing.

In the long long ago time, Management would at least throw us a party, begin posting rent increase notices while we were distracted at the party. This time, notices began just as the painters were completing the upgrade on the complex, like giving us a bill for services rendered.

We didn’t ask for the upgrade, we’d rather have had a party, but it looks like we’re paying for the paint job instead.

Oh well, nothing we can do but tighten the budget belt.

In other news, Her Royal Highness — the young Black girl helping out in the office during Assistant Manager’s pregnancy leave, that managed to get on my bad side by talking to me like I was a child that needed correcting, is no longer here. She quit … supposedly because she didn’t like the drive from her home in Pomona.

The drive from here to Pomona is only 39 minutess, 33 miles, so I’m not entirely sold on her leaving because of dissatisfaction with the drive.

Last few times I caught glimpses of her, her aura looked dimmed, she seemed not so full of herself as when first arriving.

Water reaches its own level so, with her original inflated sense of self, it probably deflated her that this is not a place where she can flex, no one here to impress or seem impressed by her, so she moved on.

Whatever the reason, her highness is gone, no loss to the community.

Talker’s 40-year-old may soon be getting his walking papers. I’d previously reported Talker saying he was at the "getting on her nerves" stage. Now, she says, "I’m getting tired of teaching".

A 40-year-old isn’t all that young, should be well versed in what it takes to keep a woman’s interest, knew very well the woman he was taking on is 72-years-old so I’m not so sure how he’s failing; but it’s looking like he’ll soon be history.

Today was a Namaste Bitches kind of day.

Heading out for gas and groceries, I spied the door to the Pain Cave wide open … an invitation for me to pop in, mess with Trainer, yell "Namaste Bitches" as I walked in the door.

His wife was in the studio, gave me a big hug, said she had not been aware that the Ms. Shirley she followed on TikTok was my daughter.

She and Trainer began talking about things … good things they’d seen, read about, etc., but things I’d rather not hear or speak about because it’s still too raw, sets off the waterworks. So, I turned the conversation onto the fighters and why was the door wide open.

Trainer said he doesn’t want to change locations, but needs to upgrade the studio, so he and wife were there to figure out how to do that, make the studio less cluttered, more bougie.

Wife said she got on his case about my leaving because he kept moving me around, not paying attention to my warnings about it.

I said I was okay with it until that last move had me in a tight corner by the bathroom, that nobody puts baby in a corner.

She said she’ll try to work out a proper space for Personal Training in the new plan. I told Trainer to send me a picture when they work it out, and we’ll talk.

So, we’ll see about my returning to the Pain Cave.

My body would thank me but, with the high cost of groceries, the rent increase, and with the 15 years of distribution on my other sources of income rapidly coming to an end, I’m not so sure I can fit it in the budget.

We’ll see.