Wednesday, June 26, 2019

The Summertime Blues Or Gramma Goes Skating

Princess T was hovering bedside before I even rolled out of it this Morning.  The Man had forewarned me that she had been Googling some Themed Event for Swimming or Skating, he knew not which?  The intense boredom of Subdivision Hell is setting in deeply during Summer Break for her already, so I am not without sympathy or empathy for the Child.  The Summertime Blues can be rough to move thru and hold Space for at any Age!  Uh oh, I Hope it's the Skate option and not the Swim option kinda 'Park'!?   Coz it's easier at my Season of Life, watching her and the entourage she'll want to bring along, inside a Rink in Air Conditioning, than baking at a Sun Splash or something outside in 113 Degree Hotness!

Gramma, when do you get Paid again and how many Friends can I bring was her Opening Line?!   Ah, so I'll be bankrolling this little Soiree I suspect, which is sometimes Okay, after a Payday, since her Friend's Families have often bankrolled her being the Invited Friend, so it's probably my turn to take one for the Team!   Lucky for me she's a little financial Wizard already and had crunched the numbers for the least expensive Soiree in the City to ensure I wouldn't shut negotiations down from the get go, for economic limitations.  *Smiles*   Hey, nobody else's Family are Seniors on fixed incomes still raising Kids, so they have expanded options to provide Entertainment!  My T&E Budget is strapped, especially at Month's end! 

Well, the Wiz had taken all that into account as well, the Timing of said Soiree... and the fact The Son's Birthday is this coming Weekend, so she knows I'm taking her Uncle out to Celebrate.   And she is aware I'm also Two other Grandkids behind again on Birthdays already, but I'm getting caught up slowly but surely.   Meeting up with the Son, it's his Youngest that just had another Birthday, so I'll just combine their Presents in one hit.  But another Adult Grand-Daughter back East, has been waiting since April for her Birthday $$, so I've really gotta get completely caught up before the next round of Grandkid Birthdays in August!   The Young Prince and our Oldest Daughter's Youngest have a Birthday same Month as mine, August!

That always means my pressy to Self comes last, since, well, it just wouldn't be Right to indulge myself first and then ask them both to wait!  *Winks*  When you get so many Grandchildren, it's a logistic challenge to organize and distribute the Goods in a timely manner on a fixed income... while also raising some, who you provide everything for!   And I must say, The G-Kid Force have always been very understanding of that dynamic of our spread sheet and obligations economically.   They know that tho' we've raised them and I Adopted them, they are not our only Grandchildren and that there are many... like Legion there are many!  *LOL*  So, she'd done all the Math in advance before her Pitch this Morning, Bless her Heart!  *LOL*

Well, there is Dollar Day Mondays at Skate World she Pitches, when everyone in the World will be there.  But since I Hate People and you'll Need to sit down and not wanna go Mental either Gramma, should we schedule it for a regular Week Day and just pay the Nine Dollars extra per person?   Valid point, Sanity is worth Nine Bucks extra per person I suppose, since she only wants to bring Two BFF's along!   It's a small enough entourage that I can swing it, if I have a Strong Pay Period of Sales at the Antique Mall.  She also considered waiting until the First of the Month when she knows we get Grandpa's Disability and Pensions for July.  You didn't have any more financial Crisis hit YET Gramma, so mebbe we can do this?   Yeah, that's how our conversations go, she's not New!  *Bwahahahaha!*

We did dodge a bullet with the Cable Company, when her Cable Upstairs in her New Apartment went out and we had to have a Service Call Yesterday, since they couldn't fix it over the Phone this time.   It was Thankfully something that was an  'Easy Fix' and covered fully, so we didn't have to actually pay for the Service Call!  *Whew*  But now the Landline has gone out, same Company, coincidence... or since he was messing with all the Wiring, we're just not sure, so they do have to potentially come out again already!  

 And I dodged the bullet earlier this Month with the Truck Battery going out, since it crapped out 14 Days before it's Warranty would have expired, so that cost me nothing but Anxiety either!  And got me a new 12 Month Warranty extension on said New Battery ta boot!  *Whew!*  Often we move from Crisis to Crisis around here, so she knows the Drill and that anything 'Extra' better be expertly Negotiated and squeezed in between Crisis and the expenses of Living The Dream out here in affluent Subdivision Hell!  

The Old Historic House in da Hood was Affordable and so that's been a definite Lifestyle Change and Challenge for us all, in Good ways and in Hard ways.   It is different here too Gramma, she explains, as if I don't already know her Challenges of fitting in.  My Friends here do stuff all the time and their Families have Money... at least in the Old Neighborhood everybody was broke so you didn't have to be embarrassed or make excuses all the time to Save Face.  They're all very Nice Kids she knows out here, but there is Privilege often taken for granted, since it's all they've known.  There is often no point of reference of The Struggle so many people accept in daily life of Living paycheck to paycheck, which I feel is probably more the norm, but not everywhere... certainly not out here by all accounts and personal observations?! 

 I know she has to come up with creatively handy excuses to bow out of Activities a lot and Save Face, while maintaining her dignity!   Out here Kids have had to bow out of Local Activities with our Grands because their Parents took them to France!  I'm not kidding, no exaggerating, you can't make this shit up... True Story for Why one of The Young Prince's Friends couldn't attend Comicon one Year and was distraught about missing it!  Coz his Parents made him go on an unexpected Vacay with them to France! 

 He had to call my Grandson FROM FRANCE to Cancel attending Comicon with them, which the Kid would have preferred to do, with apology and lamentations!  "Well, you don't hear THAT in the Old Neighborhood!", the Young Prince had quipped after the Call... and we laughed heartily... No... No you don't! *Bwahahahaha!!!!*  It's a whole Other World around here than what we're used to... an Alternate Reality of sorts, it took some getting used to!  Yeah, we can hang with the best of 'em, but it can be tiring and even annoying or surreal to sometimes.

Having a Nice House in a better Neighborhood might be better for raising a Family and be The Standard set by Adoption criteria to push a Complex Case such as ours thru The System... but it means people assume you have hidden Wealth and can afford anything and everything they can.  Which is not always the case if it's taking all you've got just to maintain it, which is our case.  It's still immense Privilege I'm Grateful to have attained some kind of way and fully acknowledge having.  But it's an illusion of fitting in and yet not being on a level Playing Field for us, which is a mixed Blessing kinda bag.  Admitting you can't Afford things around here just isn't Done, even in Kid Circles, she doesn't want Judgment nor Pity directed her way, nor be the topic of unkind Gossip Fodder.  It's akin to being a Poor Student on a Rich Elite College Campus.  What it's like to be Poorer in a Space designated for Wealthier People has a Down Side... even if you manage to accomplish it. 

To be able to Live The American Dream on a fixed income, while battling chronic Family illness with Medical Expenses, and being unable to maintain a Career or paying Job due to Full Time Caregiving... is a bit like being a Magician.  I have become somewhat of a Criss Angel Mind Freak Illusionist since the Day they told me I had to get The G-Kid Force Adopted.  It's been all Smoke and Mirrors and slight of Hand, I know it's a behind the scenes risk taking venture and Journey I'd rather not have had to pull off... but you make it Work.   If I could turn back Time and have had different Options, or any Voluntary Option, we'd of coarse just Lived our Old Life Forever!   New Life just requires MORE... so you come up with MORE, necessity being the Mother of Invention and all.  I'm pretty adept at doing whatever it takes and Creating Magic!  Got me a Great Wand and everything!  *LMAO*

 It's a delicate Dance, but we're doing pretty good on this Magical Mystery Tour of ours, we're mostly Okay and Living The American Dream AND Nuestra Vida Loca simultaneously, which can get really Interesting sometimes.  And we've avoided wanting to be Bougie, which is Important too, the Bourgeoisie... well, Gak!  It certainly wouldn't be a Voluntary preference, Choice or Natural response to me to go Bougie.  Being Middle Class and preferring to live well below our means is more my Style and comfort of Lifestyle too.  To be Middle Class buying big Houses and fancy Cars under 'Normal' circumstance, which we haven't had THOSE in a very long time, isn't Wise IMO and is a Foreign Experience I've never lived before or even wanted to... don't Like it!  *Le Sigh*


We skipped Fancy Cardome, not necessary... but Big House, to duly impress Adoption Court and get that shit finally finalized, Blessed and pushed thru by the Powers that Be, I Caved in the end.  Yep, I Sold Out... hadda pull off The Ultimate Magic Trick for the Audience I was required to Entertain!  Had Five Years now to ruminate on whether or not that was in our best Interest for the long haul to Sell all we had that was Secure and buy this?  But we bought the Ticket so we're on for the whole Ride... Whee!  So... anyway, we'll be likely to either endure a Dollar Day Monday Madness, if Sales were Soft at the Mall this Pay Period hawking my excess stuff from Home... or Pony Up for a measure of Sanity on one of the other Week Days I don't have a Shift?  Decisions... Decisions... they never end, do they?  *LOL*

  Either way, she'll be Skating her little Ass off with her Friends, with me doing the Obligatory Cheering On and "Look Gramma!!!" Thing... while I sip non-alcoholic Refreshments Rink Side, which will be ever so much Fun {Rolling my Eyeballs}.  A Trio of 13 Year Old Girls and an Old Lady is quite the Motley Crew out having Fun together, so you catch my Drift!  *Smiles*  It's part of the Requirement of Parenting 101, it's not all about you anymore.  I kinda want it to be all about ME tho', at this Season of Life anyway... haven't I Earned it as an Entitlement or Prize yet?!  *Smiles*  At least they don't expect me to totally Engage, strap on a pair of Skates and risk breaking a Hip!   Which would be the End of all Fun, and mebbe even The End, literally... Right!?!  *Bwahahahaha!*


Blessings, Love, Light and Humor from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian


  1. My son wants to go skating on the seasonal outdoor ice rink they construct outside our shopping centre in the city. I have put it off for years, but it looks like this might be the year! I will think of you in solidarity sitting rink side.
    xo Jazzy Jack

    1. LMAO, us sitting there in solidarity Rink side! At least this isn't Ice Skating, this is Rollerskate or Rollerblading in a Rink. Tho', coolness off of the Ice might feel refreshing now that it's about 113 degrees most days!

  2. You could check around town for a coupon to use for this excursion. Maybe you can get something at a reduced price. Senior Discount? I once had to sit in a Ski Lodge an entire day for my daughter and her friend to enjoy the slopes.

    1. Well, I think Group Discounts there exist if the Group is large enough, but ours will be small so we're leaning towards going on one of their Discount Days instead.

  3. I just love your Princess T..., she has such a practical side, which is a god-send when dealing with the upper echelons of the economic stratosphere. My boys were in the same situation where their highschool had such a diversity economically, and we just couldn't even begin to compete. Odd, though, as all those rich kids enjoyed being at our house with our homemade cheese sandwiches and popcorn for snacks. A loving parent/grandparent's attention far outweighs $$$ in the long run.




