That was quite a dogfight we just had somewhere in back. I’m pretty sure it was at the renter’s. Who else has half a dozen dogs around here? Again, I really am glad we aren’t staying here and that we never did build porches and put in a pool. We’d have zero privacy and not always much peace. Anyway, there were 3-4 dogs barking frantically. I placed my ear on the back door and could hear a woman shouting at them, then the sound of beating. The woman was hitting them with a stick, I guess, trying to break up the fight. I don’t know if it was only the renter’s dogs involved or if other dogs got on their turf and got into it with them or what. It could’ve been dogs going to mess with the one that lives at Dan’s place, but I doubt it.

Now, I gotta go push myself to exercise. It’s just so discouraging when you know that nothing you do will ever cause you to lose more than 2 or 3 pounds, but if I don’t do it, I’ll gain 40 or more for sure.

Later…

Yes! Both Maria and Amelia are going. Amelia has 2 bids.

Tom now has 35 feedbacks.

I perfected our bottle-burning experiment. It looks weird, but it’s functional. Instead of the more expensive, high-calorie teas in their pretty bottles, I found that 2-liter soda bottles work well provided I slit a long groove up top by the neck. That way the smoke doesn’t get trapped in the bottle. The groove allows the smoke/fragrance to waft up much more freely since the necks of soda bottles like these are so narrow. Also, instead of clipping it to the rim, I take and slip the stick in the middle of a bobby pin and rest it on top of the opening. The stick then dangles down the center of the bottle.

I’m thinking of doing my next story set in the first MA house I lived in. I was thinking of trying some family drama-type of story, but of course, the main characters will be gay. I don’t want to do an Oregon-based story until I’ve lived there a year, or close to it. I’d still also like to try that story of the little girl shuffled from foster home to foster home that puts spells on those who do bad things to her. It’ll be a while since I’ll be working on my current one for some time yet.

Since Tom’s going to the recycling center every Saturday to hunt for stuff to sell, he’s decided not to burn trash here ever again, and to just pay the dollar a bag it’ll cost to dump the trash. There shouldn’t be more than a bag or two a week.

Later…

The house is closing a couple of days early, so tomorrow is when he’ll go to Mesa to sign the papers. So in less than 12 hours from now, they could stick a cow on the back of this land and it wouldn’t be our problem. He’s also going to stop at a place that sells camper shells and see what a new one costs since he’s been having trouble finding used ones.

We made our final decision – Oregon is where we want to go. No place is perfect, but it seems like it could very well have fewer cons and more pros than other places. Unfortunately, we have to get a $350 permit just to park the RV, unlike in Nevada, but sonic booms are so unlikely there than in Nevada, so it’ll be worth it. We considered forests in Colorado, but those have higher chances of fires and there’s also more snow and humidity there as well.

We’ll have to have half a dozen or more inspections of various kinds which I have mixed emotions about. On one hand, I don’t fancy the idea of having to seek approval for anything we do at our ages. On the other hand, if we’re doing something wrong that could harm us in the end, we want to know about it.

In another week or so, it’ll be a month since I’ve heard from Mary. I usually send letters out to her on Mondays, but if I haven’t heard from her come next Monday, I’m going to skip sending anything out till the Monday after that. If something’s wrong, I don’t want to be sending mail that she may not be getting. The aunt may be a little embarrassed to call me now that the news of her pervert husband is out, so if something’s wrong, I may not know it. I can’t imagine never hearing from Mary again, but people are so full of surprises I know I should keep my mind open to all possibilities. The question would be what to do with her stuff if I stopped hearing from her for whatever the reason may be. I guess I’d archive her stuff for 6 months, then delete it in a year. I’m sure I’m just being paranoid about there being anything wrong, though. I’m a worrywart. I’m sure she’s just hesitant to write at this time or just not in a writing mood. Maybe people have stopped sending her money and she can’t afford envelopes. I hope, though, that at least Elizabeth is helping her out. She said she would.

I stop using the patches and my weight goes back down. Interesting. What I don’t get is why I have such severe craters. I’ve seen people older than me who’ve never worked out a day in their lives have less than I’ve got. Tom says it’s probably just hereditary. Well, when God designed me he certainly had it in for my fat, bow-legged, varicose-veined, large-pored, cratered legs!

Something’s got it in for my eyes too, and I’m thinking maybe I should add vitamin A to my diet. I went online and looked up night blindness and that’s what they recommend. I didn’t think anything could be done to improve vision, but Tom says it can and that the eyes are organs like any other organs in our bodies. I have my doubts that this will help, but I’m willing to at least give it a try.

It’s been stinking again when the AC runs, though we haven’t had any trouble with the water pressure, so I don’t know what to make of it. Somehow I’ve always had the feeling the various foul smells around here were not quite of earthly origin.