Live the life you want, not the life you have. That’s no doubt what my folks wish they could do, but for different reasons than we wish we could. Dad had another heart attack! I received a letter yesterday from him. He said he was on his way to their flag store when he was hit with massive pain. He called Mom and she took him to the ER. He had to spend time in the hospital as they inserted a stent to open his arteries. The good news is that he’s now pain-free and feeling good. Still, he says the golden years “ain’t what they used to be.” Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m dreading growing old myself!

Thank God he didn’t get into an accident. I guess he pulled over when the pain hit and called Mom on a cell phone.

I was kind of surprised to learn they still have the store and haven’t been online in years because they didn’t use it enough and were tired of dealing with spam. They said the store keeps them active and that they’d retire when they can afford to. I can see where the store would keep them busy and fill their time. If you enjoy something, why not do it whether you can afford to quit or not, right?

They said I didn’t give them our number yet and that we could call them collect. As I told them, I wouldn’t call collect unless it was the emergency I hope we never face again. Besides, I thought they had a block on that. I’ll just try them directly from the landline after they’ve had time to read the letter I just wrote in which I also included pictures now that I know they can’t see them at Webshots (it was nice not to have to worry about size and quantity like I have to with Mary). I wanted to write first so we’d be more caught up on what’s going on with each other in advance so we wouldn’t have to spend as much time catching up the more expensive way. I told them the cell can’t be used indoors and that the landline has static at times, but that I’d call directly from that. I also let them know we usually keep the ringers off and that the landline has no voicemail, but they could leave messages on the cell.

He asked what the weather was like and said he hoped things were better for us, but as I had to tell him, Tom was still on unemployment and I was still dreaming of a legit home job that didn’t cost anything or require a schedule. I told them we had pawned and sold some things.

Sometimes I wish we could be there to cook and clean for them. My schedule, as I told them, would only permit me to help out at certain times, but Tom could be available when I couldn’t be, and he could drive them around when they got to the point where they couldn’t drive. I just wish I could help them like they helped us. But while we could certainly help out, we couldn’t work for them because they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay him and so he’d have to get work elsewhere. I still wouldn’t want to be in the mainstream while we were too young for a retirement community, and it would cost thousands of dollars to get there in the first place. We’d need internet access right away and a place to stay that wasn’t attached to anyone else that would allow rats. So it’s not an option, and I’m not sure Tom would like it there cuz of the humidity. I don’t like humidity either, but it’s got its good points, too. It sure is good for the skin and hair.

I got one of those sippy cups for kids so I can drink water while running.

Heard a couple of quick barking sprees yesterday and one today. It hit me that the people have to be able to hear the dogs that live on the other side of him because the dogs are at the side of his house. When I checked the satellite again, I saw that yes, they’d be clearly audible where they’re at.

If ever there was such a thing as a rat with an eating disorder, we got one!

I’m pissed off at Kiwi yet again. This one’s not their fault. Well, not totally. The mind teaser cube fell out of the envelope they mailed it in somewhere along the way. There was a tear in the middle of the envelope when we received it. But why they didn’t mail the damn thing in a bubble-lined envelope beats me. So now even more points have been wasted!

Tom just came in to say that something’s been stressing him out and upsetting his belly and he thinks it’s the idea of talking to Jesse about the dogs and the flooring. He thinks Jesse thought I was saying we’d give it to him. Like I told Tom, though, that’s definitely not the case. I made it clear to him that we wanted a discount on the rent if he was interested, and he agreed that if he was, we could discuss a discount.

As for the dogs, I agree that Jesse’s the sensitive type, like most guys. I can sense it and he can too, just from talking to him. But why should I sit and suffer the annoyance the dogs bring when they go off just because one’s sensitive and the other’s paranoid? “Well, you did go to jail once,” Tom pointed out, but as I myself pointed out, that was a totally different situation. This isn’t a pack of lazy freeloaders in a state that favors them. This is an individual we know. And sooner or later the economy is going to get better and Jesse’s going to return to work full-time in which case the barking will be a regular problem. Tom said he wanted to first concentrate on getting to where we didn’t have to pay some of the rent late and risk him hassling us if we brought up the dogs before then.

So I put my foot down and said that he could do what he wants as far as the flooring is concerned, but just as soon as we get caught up (if we live to get to that point) I’m either going to slip him a note like I should’ve months ago, or mention it to him if he comes down beforehand. I’m sick of giving in to him and dealing with noisy neighbors or their noisy dogs! It’s like he worries more about their sensitivity than my being annoyed. So he agreed this was an okay compromise. It better be okay cuz I’m not putting it off forever, and if we survive this shit long enough for him to get a job, I don’t think we’ll be able to move. Most rentals are outrageous and I still don’t know that I’d want to move even if we could afford it because most places are noisier than this. Yet it’s been noisy enough ever since late October or early November whenever Jesse’s taken off. I don’t think even the most sensitive of people would have a problem with the way I worded the letter I wanted to give him, and if they did, then they have a serious problem and they’re definitely not someone I’d want to live with or rent a place from. Also, and as I told Tom, we can’t let past experiences hold us back. If we suffer in silence, too afraid to speak up, then we let the blacks and Mexicans win. Well, I think they’ve won enough!

I want the peace we came here for. And I want it each and every day. Not just some days like has been the case for the last 4 months or so. I don’t mind a few barks a couple of times a day like we’ve had the last couple of days. But I’m sick of the 10-minute to 2-hour barking sprees that occur several times a day on the days that Jesse’s not around! No one should have to live with it either. Especially people out in the country. The reason we came here was to escape the city noise, so to have to sit and listen to dogs bark really defeats the whole purpose of coming out here. We escaped the car stereos, the slamming car doors, the screaming kids, and we were supposed to have escaped the barking dogs, too.