Safe At Home 6: PIGS ARE FLYING! Luke is Engaged!

[The Mother Dust]

21 hours ago, nokidsmom said:

I keep extra masks in my glove compartment and I just bought a ton of masks with Easter designs since we headed for another Easter under Covid.   You do get used to them and while you are at it, you might as well have some fun wearing them.    

Standing in line at local store, I saw masks for sale that had a grinning sharks mouth superimposed over where your mouth would be, emphasis on the teeth.   I decided to get one because i'm really 8 years old.  Next week I got a reminder that I had an upcoming dentist appt, so it was with great delight that I wore it to the dentists office. It was a smashing success, haha.

[nokidsmom]

11 hours ago, Cults-r-us said:

I, too, live in hare core Trump territory, 60 mile south of Kansas City. To my horror, I discovered my neighbor and her sisters (all over 65yo),  radicalized by facebook, are devout Trumpists and anti-vaccers. Same for my other neighbors children (in their 40's) who recently hosted a baby shower in a bar with 55 of their closest maskless friends. Covid is fickle or all these fools would have it. They are adamant against the vaccine.

My 62 yo SIL has played fast and loose with Covid restrictions (family gatherings, travel, restaurants, visiting elderly MIL / FIL without a mask, crossing state lines where there is not a mask mandate) and at the same time engages in verbal handwringing over her 70 yo husband getting Covid.   She hasn't gotten sick so far but has insisted that she probably got it because she "sees people".   She is a screaming anti-vaxxer and says she will refuse the vaccine.

If there is anyone who should get Covid it's her.   I am waiting for the day she tests positive and how shocked she will be even after the rest of us are vaccinated. 

 

1 minute ago, The Mother Dust said:

Standing in line at local store, I saw masks for sale that had a grinning sharks mouth superimposed over where your mouth would be, emphasis on the teeth.   I decided to get one because i'm really 8 years old.  Next week I got a reminder that I had an upcoming dentist appt, so it was with great delight that I wore it to the dentists office. It was a smashing success, haha.

Last year I made a cloth mask from cotton fabric that had potatoes printed on it.  The fabric was left over from the cloth microwave potato baker I made years before.  Mr. No likes to wear it and calls himself Mr. Potato Head when he does.  He reports that it gets a few laughs. 

[Kailash]

I worry about creating super bugs or not developing antibodies to regular colds and illnesses. I definitely wear a mask and may continue in certain circumstances long after the vaccine is available. But I don’t use hand sanitizer if a sink and soap are available, and I don’t wipe my grocery cart before I use it, although I usually have my groceries delivered. I’m trying to limit my exposure to germs but not completely eliminate them. 

[3splenty]

11 minutes ago, Kailash said:

I worry about creating super bugs or not developing antibodies to regular colds and illnesses. I definitely wear a mask and may continue in certain circumstances long after the vaccine is available. But I don’t use hand sanitizer if a sink and soap are available, and I don’t wipe my grocery cart before I use it, although I usually have my groceries delivered. I’m trying to limit my exposure to germs but not completely eliminate them. 

This is one of my concerns, as well.  We have to be exposed to some things for immunity.

I do wipe down the grocery cart, but I shop in store.  

[JenniferJuniper]

Someone mentioned the Arndts in another thread, so I thought it was time for an update.

Just tonight, Rick sounded pretty dejected during his FB live.  No one is coming to them, and he's desperately trying to gather email addresses so he can send private invites in advance of him going live. Sounded kind of desperate.  He also implied they were having some financial difficulties, although I was a little distracted when listening.  

Must be tough for a narcissist who was completely convinced he was starting a Pastor Rick revolution.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

7 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Someone mentioned the Arndts in another thread, so I thought it was time for an update.

Just tonight, Rick sounded pretty dejected during his FB live.  No one is coming to them, and he's desperately trying to gather email addresses so he can send private invites in advance of him going live. Sounded kind of desperate.  He also implied they were having some financial difficulties, although I was a little distracted when listening.  

Must be tough for a narcissist who was completely convinced he was starting a Pastor Rick revolution.  

I’m sure they are completely fine financially. They have many many adults that work and being in money.

[Howl]

14 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

They have many many adults that work and being in money.

But their gig is court reporting, and trials have been delayed.  I can't even imagine the size of their weekly grocery bill.  

There are certain economies of size by living together, but many other expenses are amplified in such a large group of people. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

25 minutes ago, Howl said:

But their gig is court reporting, and trials have been delayed.  I can't even imagine the size of their weekly grocery bill.  

There are certain economies of size by living together, but many other expenses are amplified in such a large group of people. 

But these men have been working for years. If they all haven’t built up a big nest egg then they are idiots. 

[Petronella]

8 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Someone mentioned the Arndts in another thread, so I thought it was time for an update.

Just tonight, Rick sounded pretty dejected during his FB live.  No one is coming to them, and he's desperately trying to gather email addresses so he can send private invites in advance of him going live. Sounded kind of desperate.  He also implied they were having some financial difficulties, although I was a little distracted when listening.  

Must be tough for a narcissist who was completely convinced he was starting a Pastor Rick revolution.  

Disheartening for Rick, but I'm glad more people are wising up to the Arndt ways being not inspirational.

I wonder if a financial crisis might be a good thing for the adults kids, ultimately. A shakeup would be uncomfortable to experience but it could lead to some of them moving on in life.

[JenniferJuniper]

22 minutes ago, Petronella said:

Disheartening for Rick, but I'm glad more people are wising up to the Arndt ways being not inspirational.

I wonder if a financial crisis might be a good thing for the adults kids, ultimately. A shakeup would be uncomfortable to experience but it could lead to some of them moving on in life.

Rick needs to grasp that his family isn't interesting and his ministry is about as exciting as watching grass grow.  (although Rick probably finds that exciting).  And it probably makes a lot of people uncomfortable to watch middle aged men still under their father's control.

I agree; maybe financial necessity will be the thing that finally shakes things up in Arndtville.  

1 hour ago, Howl said:

But their gig is court reporting, and trials have been delayed.

This is probably a big part of the problem.  While there are still zoom depos and trials going on, at least in my world, there have been a lot of delays and things are moving very slowly through courts.

No softball again this year either.  I'm sure that's driving Rick nuts. 

[Howl]

Also, no or very few weddings to photograph, so that's another hit to their finances. 

[SolomonFundy]

It could be (probably is) a lot of things.

(Caveat: I didn't watch or listen to the FB segment that @JenniferJuniper mentioned.)

* It's been 20 years since they built the house, and most of the appliances are probably now failing. Since their occupancy hasn't decreased in all that time, they would be replacing multiple fridges and freezers, washers and dryers, etc. at whatever point the older appliances failed rather than downsizing.

* Despite being cryptic about the family bout with the plague, it's obvious that they were all sick at some point. They could be facing medical bills for the "boys" that aren't covered by their personal insurance or Scamaritan. (I have no idea if they are on Fundycaid or not, though.)

* Most of their known revenue streams have been compromised. People didn't exactly flock to subscribe to the redesigned family platform, weddings/graduations/events worth photographing are down, court reporting is probably a more competitive market due to increased accessibility (even the housebound can do that job by zoom), and by consequence, their more "hobby" jobs are not sustainable without the income from the other gigs.

* Without travel, work, or location scouting to take them away from the compound, ALL of the mouths to feed are gathered at the Tummy Trough 24/7. 

* They may be financially supporting aging relatives who required a greater degree of care this past year.

 

All of that said, it could also just be that Rick, like many other people, is experiencing a great deal of anxiety and stress from the changes in his world. This could lead him to fixate on family income in a way that is unwarranted, and perhaps he fears more than he has cause.

[AnnaSofia]

On 2/9/2021 at 7:00 PM, JenniferJuniper said:

They're filming Vine Valley again!  Rick even admitted that some of his scenes will look a little odd, seeing as he's aged about 12 years since they started filming. 
 

I'm a fairly avoidant person, and I was feeling really bad about something I'd been putting off for the past 4 or 5 weeks.

Re-reading this thread makes me feel so much better. Thanks, Rick!

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

On 5/11/2021 at 7:25 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

But these men have been working for years. If they all haven’t built up a big nest egg then they are idiots. 

The upkeep on that place and all of Rick and Cathy's travel over the years aren't cheap. They were working a lot, but they had a lot of people to support for a long time so Idk how big a nest egg they could have built up.  Heck, with all those people either insurance or routine medical bills sans insurance would be huge.

 

[JenniferJuniper]

10 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

The upkeep on that place and all of Rick and Cathy's travel over the years aren't cheap. They were working a lot, but they had a lot of people to support for a long time so Idk how big a nest egg they could have built up.  Heck, with all those people either insurance or routine medical bills sans insurance would be huge.

 

Aside from the fact there is tons of manboy power to handle routine maintenance, their one huge plus was that there isn't any mortgage on the house.

With that said, I agree, once a house hits that 20 year mark, there are all of things that need replacing, like HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical, flooring and major appliances.  I bought my house when it was about 16 years old, and in the following five years had had to work on replacing pretty much everything.  That was 20 years ago, and here we go for round two now.  Houses are money pits.  They also have apparently built a second home for the old boys, although I've never seen it. (Not sure if anyone has.)  I also suspect they have "normal" health insurance and that must cost quite a bit. 

I think its very possible that in keeping all of his adult children around, Rick has really boxed himself in.  If one or both primary businesses have strugged since last year, they could be having major issues.  And that pathetic pay for play site almost makes me feel sorry for them.   Almost. 

[Howl]

Just because...

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

15 hours ago, Howl said:

Just because...

 

Rick Arndt reading that sign:

”agree, agree, agree, agree, WHAT?!? Next you’ll tell me no pumpkin washing either!”

Edited June 1, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[GreyhoundFan]

On 6/1/2021 at 11:55 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

Rick Arndt reading that sign:

”agree, agree, agree, agree, WHAT?!? Next you’ll tell me no pumpkin washing either!”

Or washcloth tossing. Oh, the humanity. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

It’s been quiet in Arndt land! I did a web search to see if there was anything new, and found their Twitter account. It’s @famteam. They only have 111 followers, and their tweets rarely get any likes, at most one or two. The only tweet from this year is a trailer for a 12-minute film that they made when they were younger called Dock 17. There’s a link to famteam.tv, which has family videos. You can sign up for a free trial, but it looks like they’re trying to monetize it. They also claim that they’re going to be available on streaming platforms like Apple TV and Roku, which seems highly unlikely. Did we know about this?

ETA: I noticed that it’s um, in the thread title. It was discussed briefly in early January in the previous thread. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by QuiverFullofBooks
Added something

[quiversR4hunting]

@QuiverFullofBooks you are just trying to make this thread hot so we all think one of the sons is dating or married or mama bought some navy colored shorts!

[Tatar-tot]

You know, I have zero pity empathy etc for this clan of freaks.   Poor little Rick while you were farting around with a movie camera my hubby and I were busting our butts working.

While you were steering your kids away from an education to be self sufficient we bit the bullet supported our kids and pushed them to educate themselves so they had fulfilling careers. 
In 6-7 years my husband and I will be ready for retirement.  Our kids will all be out of the house unless something bizarre happens.  Why did this happen?  We worked very hard.  My husband did not float around the country with a home video camera pretending to be a movie producer.  We supported each other to obtain our mutual goal.  
Rick if you cannot afford to live in the big house downsize and let the little penguins migrate.  But please do not whine at me or anyone else to financially support you. 

[nokidsmom]

21 hours ago, Tatar-tot said:

You know, I have zero pity empathy etc for this clan of freaks.   Poor little Rick while you were farting around with a movie camera my hubby and I were busting our butts working.

While you were steering your kids away from an education to be self sufficient we bit the bullet supported our kids and pushed them to educate themselves so they had fulfilling careers. 
In 6-7 years my husband and I will be ready for retirement.  Our kids will all be out of the house unless something bizarre happens.  Why did this happen?  We worked very hard.  My husband did not float around the country with a home video camera pretending to be a movie producer.  We supported each other to obtain our mutual goal.  
Rick if you cannot afford to live in the big house downsize and let the little penguins migrate.  But please do not whine at me or anyone else to financially support you. 

As another poster pointed out, Rick has boxed himself in between keeping his large brood "safe at home" limiting their educations, their life experience and their careers.   Sure some of the manboys seem to do OK with the photography and court reporting but it's pretty apparent that they are supporting the family and not directing that income towards launching independent lives.   Rick stopped working years ago, fairly early, to basically navel gaze and pursue his never ending film project that involves his whole family, another way he prevents his kids from flying the nest. 

If things are getting too difficult to maintain the big house and keep the family afloat, he only has himself to blame.   Had the kids gotten decent educations, had been encouraged to work, save their own money, and move out when they were ready, Rick would have had a lot less to worry about financially.   Running a home for able bodied capable adults gets expensive. 

Everything is geared toward the family aka Fam Team as opposed to focusing on individual hopes and goals.   Well except Rick's.   His hopes and goals, which are better described as fantasies, are focused on and everyone else sacrifices.

ETA: The entire family comes off as being nice and close but underneath all that there has to be some mindfuckery going on in order to keep that many adults willing to stay "safe at home".

Edited August 21, 2021 by nokidsmom

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

I still maintain, based on nothing but a hunch, that Rick is unstable enough that the kidults are afraid of what Rick would do if they left. -- so they stay to protect the family.

Seriously though -- even if the kidults moved out they would still be supporting the family. Rick doesn't work. Cathy doesn't have any outside job.  They are not independently wealthy. They didn't inherit money. Rick quit working years ago to let his children support him.  

Nothing has changed. Whether they all live in the big house or not the kidults support the family.  That's never going to change.

[nokidsmom]

2 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

I still maintain, based on nothing but a hunch, that Rick is unstable enough that the kidults are afraid of what Rick would do if they left. -- so they stay to protect the family.

Seriously though -- even if the kidults moved out they would still be supporting the family. Rick doesn't work. Cathy doesn't have any outside job.  They are not independently wealthy. They didn't inherit money. Rick quit working years ago to let his children support him.  

Nothing has changed. Whether they all live in the big house or not the kidults support the family.  That's never going to change.

I agree, having listened to Rick's ramblings that there's something going on with him.   And that he "retired" at a fairly young age, in seemly good physical shape and with a large dependent family.   IMHO any responsible head of the family would have kept working but then again, we see plenty of examples where perfectly able men with large families to support give up good jobs because grifting/ministry/Jebus (see: Gil Bates and Steve Maxwell to name a couple).  In Rick's case, the kids seem to have stepped in to the detriment of moving out, establishing their own families or just generally living their own lives. 

Even with the Maxwells, the kids at home might be stuck helping out cleaning ceiling fans but at least some of them do get married and move out even if it's down the street.  Even the Bateseses kids have moved out in spite of (or maybe because of) their dad being a lazy ass.   That none of the Arndt kids have moved out and possibly feel compelled to stay for whatever reasons, that's different.

Possible it's instability on Rick's part but another theory I have is that the kidults are so throughly enmeshed that they feel that any independence is "abandoning" the family and dropping out of the established joint effort to keep the family going as "OMG what are we going to do if you leave" type of thing.   I think the guilt is strong in that family.

 

[quiversR4hunting]

Since hell froze over (go see Maxwell thread), I had to look to see if anything is happening in penguin land. 

Only videos on their fb page. There is another female at their living room service. Also are the men in the back some of the brothers? They are bigger than the last time I saw a group photo. Cathy was in the doorway to the kitchen on a stool. At one point the women stood for a song but the men didn't. 🙄