I just scared four huge dogs away. I’ve seen them before, too.

Scuttles is now bigger than Ratsy who’s going bald. Yeah, Ratsy’s fur is really thinning out. He’s getting old.

I heard an owl hooting last night when I was in the master bathroom. I was surprised to learn they even had owls out here. It was a neat sound to hear.

I can’t believe the dentist’s flower is still alive. How long do these things live?

Dan blared his TV for Tom on his way in from work yesterday at 5 AM. And for anyone else that may have been up and about to hear it. He said it could’ve been a radio, but couldn’t be sure. He said he thought it was Dan because he was the only one with lights on. I’m sure it was. Like I said, this is a city-raised boy. And not only is he a city boy, but he’s obviously very lonely. Tom said, “Obviously you’re lonely if you’ve got to come over to chat just because there’s a tractor there.” Some of it may have been natural curiosity, but why does he live way out here if he’s so lonely and in need of attention? Shouldn’t he be in the city? That’s the place to go if you want others to hear and notice you. That’s where you go to blast music, TVs, and engines.

Maybe a girlfriend will settle him down. Or a boyfriend. He should be leaving for Indiana in March or April. Watch. With my shit luck, this will be the first summer he starts renting his place out while he’s gone. Renting it out to loud scumbags the world needs to get rid of.

When I said he played his TV loud for Tom, I meant that he probably knew he was coming in around that time. He strikes me as the kind of lonely guy, with nothing better to do, that would spy on all his neighbors. By now he probably has Tom’s schedule down pat and knew that he’d be in at that time and could get his attention and acknowledgment.

Since I got up late this morning, it’s been pretty cloudy out there. We often get some clouds rolling in, but still no rain. Except for that two-hour drizzle spell, this is the longest stretch between rain since I’ve been out here. We’re talking six months now. A very dry winter, that’s for sure. I can’t wait for the monsoons. Those storms out here ought to be so cool and I still want to see the water run down the wash. And find out where it’ll leak in here. At least if it does, and the old leak curse does follow us here, we can call Palm Harbor. We had no one to call in PHX.

Tom went to visit his mom today and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they’re excited about my story. Tom said Evelyn asked about it. Wait till I burst their bubble with all the rejection letters I get. I don’t know, though. I still kind of feel this is destined to end up published, but we’ll see. It’s probably just a case of wishful thinking. After all, I was so sure that just because God gave me a voice, I was destined to be a singer. I’m glad that didn’t happen, though. I’d have hated the lifestyle. I prefer singing at home the way I want to and the songs I want to. Anyway, once the story’s finished, whether or not it gets published, I’ll let them have a copy.

Getting any kind of money for it is something I certainly can’t hope for or count on, though. I can draw, but that doesn’t mean he wants me to do that, too. Other than for fun, I mean. If there’s anything in life I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t always use something just because you’ve got it. Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can have babies if you want to, just because you can act doesn’t mean you’re meant to be an actress, just because you can skate doesn’t mean you’re meant to skate for a living, etc.

Now it’s about time I wrote about Jennifer, one of the managers at Maricopa’s Circle K. I first saw her, of course, when we started coming out here regularly. She works the second shift from what I can tell. She has an ugly face, boring hair, and a weird-sounding voice, yet there’s something about her. Her body is nice and she’s got that brownish color I like. She may be Mexican, but I’m not sure. She’s not much taller than me and she always has her dark hair in a ponytail. It’s not that long, maybe just below her shoulders. She has dark eyes and thick glasses. She looks sort of cross-eyed. Like I said, her face is nothing worth looking at, but her body and the way she moves are. She never seemed very friendly or like she had much of a sense of humor. She seemed a lot like Melanie. Yesterday, however, was different. I said hello to her and she smiled and cheerfully said hello back and asked how I was. I don’t think Circle K employees stay around that long, so it’ll be a bummer once she’s either fired or quits.