As I told Tom about a week ago, my job vibe for the 22nd has faded a bit. I still think he’ll have a job soon enough, though.

The bad news is that the mesquites we planted are dead and half the olies will end up dead, too. Something does not want us to make the grounds more private and nice-looking, so it seems. All we can really plant out here are the sister olies. They seem to thrive better than the regular ones. If we ever get any more palms, we’ll get older ones. Same with the olies. Younger plants just don’t have as much of a chance as the older, more established ones.

The good news is that my beauty supplies arrived yesterday, though not without the usual glitch. This time around, some asshole threw something heavy on the box and crushed it. Fortunately, only one bottle leaked. That was one of the shower gels. Other than that, I’m quite happy with what I got. I got like 10 sample packets of various facial lotions and 10 perfume samplers. I got a couple of bottles of perfume, too. The Ming Shu is really nice. I think I’ll dab a bit on Mary’s next letter, though I know that it may get mixed in with other scents. It seems that most people who send in mail spray it with something.

Amazingly, none of this stuff has upset my allergies in any way and when Mary gets out, I can get some freebies for getting her an account. I’d never ask her to make an order if she weren’t interested, though I’m sure she will be. What woman wouldn’t like Yves Rocher? They’re pretty inexpensive even without all the free stuff they give away.

I also got 6 different bottles of lotion, though one’s a sample size that I threw in my purse and one’s for feet. I got 5 different shower gels (2 lavender, 1 vanilla, 1 peach, 1 blackberry), 2 little tubes of perfumed cream, light blue eyeshadow and the free stuff they sent. Of the 10 free trial lipsticks, 4 of them were too dark. The watch was too big, but that’s okay because I have nicer watches.

I’m going to make another order in a few months or so. They don’t have a very extensive collection and they only have so many things I’d want. So I went through and picked out everything I want that I don’t have. Combined with their latest deals, it comes to about $50. I’m going to have Tom hold $15 a month towards my next order, which combined with the last one, will keep me set for about a year, particularly with the shower gels and lotions which is what I’m mainly after and something I could never have too much of. Then I can still put most of my money towards dolls, but be able to get other things in between for a change.

My next order will consist of a caramel-scented candle, effervescent bath beads, rose body lotion, lilac body lotion, tropical lagoon body spray, lip defender (goes under lipstick), and shower gels that include vanilla, watermelon, alpine mint, acacia honey, California almond and African shea butter. For free for making the order, I’ll get 3 different lotions, 2 shower gels, a bottle of facial cleanser and a bottle of makeup remover. That’s a lot to get for about $50, and of course, the shipping’s free.

Tom saw a sign by that doll shop here in town that we never got around to checking out yet saying they now give classes. I was like, classes in Maricopa? Wow! Depending on what he’ll be making at his next job (I still fear God’s going to set us back financially after doing so much better there for a while), we’ll find out exactly what they have to offer and figure out which is the better deal. I still think my best bet will probably be just to get kits and ready-to-dress dolls at those cheaper sites, though maybe theirs are just as cheap. We’ll have to find out, though I have a feeling that when you add the cost of the kiln, plus all the supplies, there won’t be much of a savings. It’s still something we’ll definitely check into one of these days. I just wonder how many people they could possibly get to attend their classes in such a small town!

No mail from Mary today, but in her last letter to me, she mentioned me organizing her book again. At first, the thought of it made me want to cry, but when it came down to it, it really wasn’t that hard at all. I just organized it by the years heading each section. If she continues to head each section with the year like I asked her to, then keeping it organized shouldn’t be a problem from here on out.

I just wish she’d come down to earth where Buffy and her cock’s concerned. Being an optimist is one thing and not wanting to face reality is another. I mean, I really get the impression that she doesn’t want to admit she got fucked over but denying it won’t change it. I’m just trying to convince her not to trust them to take any more money from her, be it for me or for José, or else she’ll get ripped off again. If her aunt won’t send me money directly, all she can do is try sending stamps or envelopes.

I also wish I knew why it’s so important to God that I don’t get paid for my work. At least not some of it, anyway. What, is it a sin for me to generate money or something?

Also, I decided that if we have to have trash on our land, some of it’s going to be ours, so I started dumping old boxes on one corner. It’s hard to care about something no one else cares about.