Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

It was yet another wet weekend here in the Inland Empire and, because this lousy weather has dragged on for so long, with little sunshine, I experienced an episode of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) — got all weepy, sat on the pity pot over a thousand little things … like that I have the kind of family I have, don’t get to experience the best years of the great grandbabies lives and, on the rare occasion when I do get to see them, can’t hug or kiss all over them because the parents are so overly germ protective, and yada yada yada.

The downpour prevented my getting out and about to work SAD off.

I also had no chocolate in the place.

There’s something about the occasional piece, sometimes pieces of chocolate, that lifts me when I’m down. Perhaps it’s the release of dopamine and endorphins.

At any rate, I survived the weekend and, waking up this morning, SAD had let go of me … probably because it’s not raining, but will be later in the week.

Having read the lamps that simulate natural sunlight are a good antidote for SAD, I’ve ordered one.

Reading on Abby’s blog that a chocolate shortage was coming, then later learning the reason … that "Skyrocketing cocoa prices feared to trigger chocolate shortages worldwide", I headed straight to See’s Candy Shop after this morning’s workout.

Not now needing it, the chocolate is in the fridge, to be thawed out in case of an emergency.

Even a hard ass like me occasionally gets the blues, but the lamp and chocolate should at least keep me off the pity pot.

The Pain Cave experienced a break-in over the weekend.

I should say ANOTHER break-in because it’s the third time …… not to burglarize the Cave, but to gain access into the liquor store next door.

First time was June 2022. Bad guys broke through the thick glass of the Pain Cave window, managed to bend the steel burglar bars, entered, disabled the camera, and spent the night drilling a hole though the side wall to get into the liquor store next door where they went shopping.

Second time was four months later, November 2022. And just like the first time, they got in by breaking through the newly installed $1,000 thick glass window; but unlike last time, the criminals were unable to break all the way through the wall, steal lot and lots and lots of alcohol and the cash register from the liquor store because Trainer had upgraded his alarm system to a silent alarm that went straight through to the police department, alerted around something like 2:15 in the morning.

It’s assumed a lookout was stationed outside who saw the approaching cop cars because, by the time the cops pulled up, the bad guys were nowhere to be seen — had made a hasty empty-handed retreat.

This third time was a repeat of through the window, through the bars, through the wall.

Persistent little devils but, even though there was an alert around 3 a.m., they managed to get into the liquor store where the camera showed them crawling around on the floor, managing to grab lottery tickets and, believe it or not, successfully breaking into the ATM.

One good thing, if the cops follow through, is that because their hands were covered with plaster from the wall, they left white plaster fingerprints on the floor where they crawled and on surfaces they touched.

Crime scene technicians did come in, grabbed those prints, so hopefully they’ll follow through, find the bad guys in the database.

Trainer’s window is, for the third time, boarded up.

Since nothing Trainer sets up is deterring the break-ins, I’m thinking he’ll eventually have to move the studio. Some place that’s not next door to a liquor store would be advisable.

Fake Day

Also known as Leap Day and the last day to wear my Colors ...... the Black History Month tops I purchased last year.

Long Sleeved Sweatshirt for Cold Days

Short Sleeved Tee for Moderate Days

Because I art myself through makeup and clothing, tomorrow I'll be painting my nails green, pull from the closet my four-leaf clover tee and locate that tube of green lipstick.

Coming back from yesterday’s workout, I got a good look at the damage done to the carport area by that tow truck driver.

Tow Guy chewed up the wood pretty good, but it doesn’t appear to be enough damage to bring down the carport.

I imagine significant scraping damage was done to the paint job on the jeep, maybe even an indentation.

Curious to know if the jeep’s owner can sue the tow company for damage, I asked Google.

The answer was yes "A towing company must use reasonable care when towing and storing your car. If it fails to act as a reasonably prudent towing company in the same and similar circumstances and damages your car or your property inside it, you may be able to sue for negligence".

Inasmuch as management has a contract with the tow company, I imagine there's some liability on the part of management. However, inasmuch as the jeep's owner, and his gaggle of guys weren't to be living here, I don't see the resident housing them allowing anyone to make a big deal of the jeep's damage for fear of eviction in retaliation.

Worst case scenario, and I wouldn't put it past management, is to have the damaged wood repaired and bill the resident.

And Then the Cops Showed Up

Hearing a car horn blaring non-stop around one o’clock this afternoon, unable to decipher if it was my alarm, I talked myself out of going outside to check, figuring someone would call and let me know if it was mine.

After a time, the blaring stopped, but then the blaring proceeded to go on/off for so long that I finally roused myself to take out the trash so I could check whether or not it was my car.

It wasn’t.

I was a jeep parked in the visitor spot going off in an effort to warn its owner a tow truck driver was in the process of carting it off.

After tossing the trash into the dumpster, I headed back to my unit, nuked my coffee and went out onto the patio to watch the show.

Seeing Next Door Neighbor on her patio, also watching the show, I said, "It’s sad when the only entertainment we have around here is watching a car being towed away".

As we watched the show, I observed what looked to be the Jeep’s owner answer the SOS call the jeep had been blaring out.

He opened the jeep, did something inside to turn the alarm off, then began removing personal items from inside and from the trunk area.

At one point, the owner got into a conversation with the tow truck driver.

I couldn’t hear what was being said, but body language indicated it was getting heated as tow truck driver continued to try to hook up the jeep.

As tow truck driver began to pull the jeep from the visitor spot, it looked like he’d gotten too close to the carport structure and was about to not only bring down the structure but damage the jeep in the process. Whereupon, the owner jumped in the jeep, refused to exit.

When I saw the owner’s backup arrive — other young men, expecting things to go sideways, I thought to run back inside, grab my phone, begin recording.

By the time I was in position, Head Maintenance Guy, who it looked like had been called to the scene by tow truck driver had, in turn, summoned manager.

Manager and HMG were standing by watching as tow truck driver argued with owner, still seated in the Jeep.

The resident from whose unit all these young men exited eventually came down.

It looked like manager got all in her face blaming her for the incident. Perhaps asking why she had so many "visitors" in her unit. Probably suspecting the guys were living there.

If manager suspects that, she’d be correct, as I’ve seen one of the guys coming/going on a daily basis for some time.

With manager on the scene blaming resident, owner and his posse backed down.

Owner exited the Jeep, tow truck driver got in, drove the car out of the visitor spot, to where he could tie it up, haul it away without further damage to the carport structure and the Jeep.

And then the cops showed up.

Nobody went to jail, but it didn’t look like manager was happy about the damage tow truck driver had done to the structure.

I can only image what damage was done to the Jeep.

We'll probably get notices posted to our doors about "ghost tenants", young people living here with parents and/or family friends, and a reminder that visitors need parking pass approval from the office to stay overnight.

Fingernails on the Chalkboard Effect

My head began screaming OMG! when booting up the laptop this morning and the first thing to pop up was Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce.

Gag me with a spoon.

I am so done with seeing them individually and as a couple.

It used to be I’d get up in the morning hoping, begging, pleading not to see Inmate No. P01135809 on the news. Not see his face, not hear his name mentioned.

Now the hoping, begging, pleading is to not see/hear mention of Swift, Kelce, Tay or Trav.

The two are everywhere, every day, all day — in the news, in print, on TV, social media, and it’s just too much, even pushing the dreaded No. 45 to the side.

It's like fingernails on a chalkboard annoying.

I’ve been a fan of Taylor’s since she was a teen and came out with the Tim McGraw song, but this current oversaturation is turning me into not a fan.

Still, I like her music and I’m not throwing any shade on her when I say that, the other night, while watching Drag Race, I suddenly realized how much Plane Jane’s drag resembles Taylor.

Plane Jane                                       Taylor

I don’t think it’s intentional, it just is.

Plane can easily make a career as a Taylor Swift, much like Chad Michaels is doing as Cher.

So that rant off my chest, I’m not feeling a winner this season, though if I absolutely had to choose, I’d go with Sapphira.

Other than that, I’d like to see Mhi'ya put out of her misery, because it’s so painful to watch her try so hard and get such harsh, but justified, criticism from the judges.

I don't think she was ready for the show in more ways than one, not the least of which was not learning how to sew.

Going on Drag Race without having taken even a basic sewing class is like going on Survivor and not knowing how to swim.

Around 9:00 this morning, I heard a loud familiar voice exiting Next Door Neighbor’s unit.

It was Oversexed.

Me thinks Neighbor had invited her over for morning coffee with a side of tea.

It’s probably a mistake for an elegant lady like Neighbor to get that friendly with Oversexed, who is more from and on the rougher side of life because look how Oversexed is treating her good and close friend Meat Man.

He's confiding his secrets to her, and she's so easily and gleefully telling us, and others on the complex, what those secrets are.

Not that Meat Man doesn't deserve being found out and stabbed in the back by a friend ...... life is about choices, and he chose her to confide in. But what it says is Oversexed is not one to get close to around here.

We'll see how it goes with Neighbor allowing Oversexed into her space, but if Neighbor goes out of town and her place ends up being broken into, I won't be calling the cops.

After leaving Neighbor’s unit, Oversexed went right over to TinTin’s place.

The plot thickens.

The Tea Spilleth Over

This break in the rain has residents out and about. Not only did I today run into Next Door Neighbor, Oversexed and the resident who married the man her mother used to be caretaker to, but also Talker and, at long last, Meat Man himself.

The morning started with my heading out for this morning’s workout, only to get trapped on the landing by a baby lizard on the stairs.

Stomping didn’t make it skedaddle so, putting my gear down, I went back into the unit, retrieved the patio broom from the outside storage area to sweep the creature away. Only, when I returned, it was gone.

Or so I thought because, after picking up my gear, heading for the stairs again, I spotted it — no longer on the stairs, but on the wall by the stairs.

The lizard was about to make me late for the Pain Cave, so I psyched myself up that I could do this. I could get down the stairs by walking sideways, away from the wall.

I gave it a go.

Midway the lizard tried to give me a heart attack by moving. It skedaddled from the wall to underneath a stair.

Arriving at the Pain Cave, I saw a resident in the lot that’s been keeping a low profile ever since she married the man she’d passed off as someone her mother used to be caretaker for and who she took over as caretaker when her mom passed away.

I’d bought it, but then she got religion, married the guy because she felt guilty about "living in sin" having passed the relationship off as caretaker.

I didn’t see the necessity to have lied about the relationship all those years, but whatever.

She tells me they’re in the process of moving to a "Mobile Home Park".

That translates to me as "Trailer Park".

She says she knows people there, so I wish them well.

Is that where everyone's been going that's moving out? Is that less expensive?

As for why she’s moving … her husband can no longer handle stairs, she needs a downstairs unit, but has been unable to get one here.

After working out and a stop by the grocery store, I returned to the complex and armed myself with that stylish walking stick from the car — the one I’d purchased for protection February of last year that has a sharp tool on the tip, just in case the lizard, or one of its relatives, was on the stairs or near my door.

Not to kill lizards, but to knock then off the stairs.

Fortunately, for both the creatures and myself, the stairs were clear; but I’ll be carrying that stick with me from now on … just in case.

Walking from the car to the stairs with gear and some of the groceries, I passed Next Door Neighbor and Oversexed — the resident that produced that naughty cupcake a while back and whose conversation seems to always turn to that three-letter word. The two were deep in spilling the tea about someone.

I just said "hey" and kept going.

I had to go back for the remaining groceries and, as I was crossing the parking lot, here comes Meat Man driving out of the complex.

He pulled up alongside, blew me a kiss and wished me a Happy New Year, because we’d not seen each other since Christmas.

Asking where he’d been all these many months, he said he’s been going back and forth taking care of his mom, who I know has one of those nice homes over near the College Campus ……… "She’s 86 now and needs help".

If he only knew …… having failed at making a pass at me some time ago, that he’d been coming on to a woman only six years younger than his mom.

So, anyway, after we did some catching up and he moved on, Oversexed said something to Next Door Neighbor, pointed in Meat Man’s direction and Next-Door Neighbor’s mouth flew open and, had she been wearing pearls, she would have clutched them.

"You two gossiping about H?" asked I.

Both doubled over in laughter, then Oversexed began spilling all of Meat Man’s tea.

Asking Oversexed if he’d made a play for her, her reply was "Who hasn’t he made a play for" and began naming names, like the Voice.

The Voice was the resident once mentioned in the blog because of her beautiful singing voice; also, because she was one of three millionaires living on the complex.

She’d come from a well-heeled prominent family; plus had a boyfriend who passed away, leaving her a Cadillac and his fortune.

She'd sold the Cadillac, pocketed that cash and, when the Voice unexpectedly passed away overnight in October ‘21, she was waiting for her portion of a $7 million inheritance that was in probate.

Oversexed said she’d see Meat Man, going in and out of the Voice’s unit. Hed go in at night, wouldn’t come out until the next morning.

Simultaneously, he had ……… and still has a well-off fiancé. The fiancé wants to get married, but he says he doesn't want to marry her, because she’s "too bossy".

I asked if the fiancé knows he’s a player, but Oversexed didn’t know the answer to that.

She also named the resident who lives across the quad, next door to Upstairs Lady — let’s call her The Fool because Oversexed says that resident is "So in love with him that she’s always cooking and taking meals to him".

Meat Man is rewarding Fool’s devotion by telling Oversexed to "Stay away from her. She’s crazy".

More like he doesn’t want Oversexed to tell Fool about the fiancé, and all his other dalliances on the complex.

Fool is also the resident Meat Man himself once disparaged to me ……… we’d actually gotten into it because he was on his high horse, deacon of the church persona, opining how others should live, and I wasn't having it.

It was the day he shot his shot, came onto me with, "I’m looking for a good woman" line. Since I wasn’t interested in being that woman, I deflected by pointing out other single women he might consider. Little did I know back then that he was already hooked up with several, but I’d suggested Next Door Neighbor and the one I’ve dubbed Fool.

He’d given me an unequivocal NO! to Next Door Neighbor, with whom he’d had dinner twice, and went off on a tirade about Fool cooking and sharing those dinners with an old army vet living here with an invalid wife.

My position was they could just be friends. His position was "HE’S MARRIED. WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS WRONG!".

Knowing what I know now, perhaps the old hypocrite was jealous.

The old vet moved out when the wife died, so now Fool is in love with and cooking for Meat Man.

He doesn’t seem to have a problem, finds nothing wrong with stringing Fool along, while having a fiancé, and trying to add others to his stable.

Oversexed didn’t seem to know about Meat Man failing with Homegirl, but she did say he recently was turned down by a new resident I’m not familiar with. The woman was said to have told him no, that she was happily married.

After being so judgmental about the old vet, did Meat Man know this new resident was married? I don’t know.

Oversexed went on to say the woman’s husband is a "Fine young brother with dreadlocks".

I don’t know how Meat Man, if he did know she was married, thought he could compete with a young man, and one so good looking as to be referred to as "fine", but being a dog, I guess Meat Man has to chase.

It seems Meat Man is oblivious to the fact his doggish behavior is being talked about, or he just doesn’t care.

Oversexed is evidently a confident of Meat Man — birds of a feather, water seeks its own level kind of thing I’m guessing. She knows all the tea, goes to the same church as he, where she says all the woman have crushes on him because he presents so well. If they only knew he’s the devil in disguise.

At any rate, Meat Man’s body count around here — successes and failures are piling up.

Oversexed ended the conversation with "Oh, and he’s waiting for his mother to die so he can move into her house".

While all this tea was being poured, TinTin had come out of her unit, whereupon Oversexed said to her, "I’ll be over in a minute".

TinTin replied, "Just knock on the door when you’re done".

THEY’RE FRIENDS!

I don’t know if old friends or new friends, but water seeking its own level again.

Heading back to my unit, I ran into Talker who asked about the stick.

After telling her it was to protect myself from lizards on the stairs, she said she’s not afraid of them, to call her next time and she’ll remove it.

If my stick can’t handle it, you can bet I’ll call her.

Signs of Life

I was expecting to have to brave the elements to make it to this morning’s workout.

Luckily, a break in the rain negated that need to swim.

The break is "supposed" to last until next Monday, but it’s looking kinda gloomy outside, so I don’t know if we have that long before the next rainstorm hits the area.

The break not only allowed me to get to/from the Pain Cave without getting wet, it allowed me to see signs of life on the complex, with residents once again venturing outside.

First sighting was Red Light. She was waiting for her son to pick her up, drive her to Yucaipa (wherever that is) to look at a new 55 and over complex that takes Section 8.

I don’t want to count my eggs before they hatch, but it’s looking like I may not need those big girl panties after all because, if Red Light is serious about moving, and it’s looking like she is, then bingo goes with her.

Driving out of the complex, I spied what translates to me as desperation.

I did mention, in a previous post, that the $500 rent increase resulted in a lot of residents moving out.

Even though it seems new residents are quickly moving in, I can only guess the sign means the waiting list has been depleted, and management is now desperate enough to advertise vacancies.

That’s pretty shocking.

Even when things were really bad — back when Nurse Ratched was so horrible that long-time residents were moving out in droves, leaving entire quads with empty units, there was no need to advertise as the wait list was long with new unsuspecting victims clamoring to get a unit here. But now management is advertising vacancies on the streets for the first time ever.

Is Corporate's greed turning around and biting management in the butt?

Is the County no longer placing their clients here ... finding less expensive accomodations for those on its role?

Next, management may be offering move in discount specials. Maybe even offering incentives to all of us not to leave.

I'll know when my increase comes up in June/July.

Returning to the complex, I spotted TinTin standing outside the gate — appearing to be waiting for someone to pick her up.

I would have liked to capture a photo for you, but I didn’t want to stall and end up having to engage with her.

I kept my eyes straight ahead and got through the gate as quickly as I could without looking her way.

Later this afternoon, as I was catching up on recorded episodes of Ghosts, out the corner of my eye I spotted movement on the walkway.

Looking over, I saw it was a woman riding a bike.

I went to the patio window to see where she was going and saw her park her bike, take a breather on the bench beneath my bedroom window.

She appeared to be one of the unhoused.

You will recall, I can’t see through the bedroom window because it’s covered with bubble wrap.

Wanting to keep an eye on her, see what she was up to, I removed a panel so I could see out.

She looked harmless enough, so I went back to the TV — nice bike though. I bet she has to fight to keep others from taking it from her.

Back watching Ghosts, I finally learned it was Heddy’s son Thomas, who unalived Alberta, turned her into a ghost — because he wanted to continue his secret relationship with Alberta’s boyfriend.

Scoundrel!

But a more exciting reason to be turned into a ghost than Roxy, in that old show Dead Like Me. Roxy invented leg warmers and was strangled to death by a roommate, with a pair of leg warmers, who wanted to benefit as the inventor.

Next episode, one of the ghosts got sucked up into heaven.

Jay — the alive husband, was hoping the missing ghost was No Pants Trevor. I was hoping it was Thor.

Turns out, it was Flower — my absolute favorite ghost.

I couldn’t believe the show’s producers had gotten rid of Flower, so I logged onto Google to find out WHY.

Guess I wasn't the only one wanting an explanation, because look what happened when all I typed in was "Why did f".

I didn’t even have to type in Flower’s name.

At any rate, the rationale given was that the actress playing Flower was pregnant in real life, around the time filming started for this Season 3.

I’m hoping maybe Flower will get kicked out of heaven and brought back Season 4, but I doubt it because the reason given for her leaving ended with "pregnancy was just one factor".

Ghosts won’t be as enjoyable without her.

Later, I once again spotted movement on the walkway.

It was the unhoused woman, back on her bike, heading out the way she came in.

Now that she knows this is a safe place to rest, will be interesting if I see her here again.

After sprinkling water on the bubble wrap panel I’d removed, it went back in place no problem.

So ends another episode of Tales of the Complex, and that's the tea.