Update

Since I don't have kids, I find myself wanting to write all about my 'little' Jack!  He's such a good boy.  Here are some things that are going on:

I bought a used bike from a KSL ad a week or so ago so that I can give my feet a little break while I work to give him two good walks everyday, but it had a flat tire, which soon turned into an exploded inner tube, so until I get that taken care of, I can't try out the bike.  Part of me wonders if it's just going to end up an even trade - feet aren't sore anymore, but I can no longer sit down!  We'll see.  At least I'll have another option.  One option for a little while was to take him to the neighborhood park at times of the day when it wasn't in heavy use (he still gets VERY excited around other dogs, and won't come back to me very well when he's off leash and he spots one), but I knew that dogs weren't technically allowed in the park off leash.  I had started to get gradually more concsious of this rule when one day we happened to be getting ready to leave the park after playing and I had a little scare.  I had actually read the sign that states the rules for the first time that day, which gave a phone number for park patrons to call to report off-leash animals, and a notice that there was a minimum $500 fine if you're caught with your animals off-leash.  When we were getting a drink from the fountain (the dogs were both on leash at this time) I saw both a Sandy City park employee pull up, and a few minutes later, a Sandy City Animal Control truck.  The animal control lady was just sitting in the truck, looking around, and appeared to be filling something out.  I played it cool and soon left, trying to act and walk nonchalantly.  Nothing happened, but I worried that perhaps someone had reported to animal control and that's why they were there.  My dogs had not been the only dogs there off-leash when I first arrived, but by the time the trucks came they were the only dogs in the park at all.  It also occured to be that maybe they just routinely visit all the parks and make a report on what they see, and that's all this was, but regardless, there is no way I have the money for that kind of fine, nor do I want some kind of record.  So no more fetch at the park, unless I get a 50- or 100-foot cord or rope to tie him to when we play (there's no indication of how long the leash has to be).  Anyway, we can play fetch in the backyard, he just can't run as far.

I LOVE cleaning poop out of the backyard.  It's my favorite thing to do, so I can't understand why I'm behind on it....

Molly has taken to sleeping in my room again.  I won't let her on the bed anymore, since it's not fair to Jack and I can't sleep as well, but as Jack sleeps on the floor on a cushion, Molly is suddenly content to do the same.  I love having their company.

Jack, in his desperation for a proper playmate, has devised a few games that he enjoys playing in the house.  One game, the most exasperating for us humans, is where he pounces on a tennis-type ball, knocking it around and catching it, then knocking it clearly and deliberately under the couch, or under my bed, or under my dresser.  He tries valiantly to get the ball back out, and occasionally succeeds, but if he can't reach it, one of us has to climb around on the floor or move furniture to get it back out.  Last night he deliberately knocked it under my dresser again immediately after I got it out for him, and so he sat there crying for it and watching it closely until he finally gave up and moved on.  I certainly wasn't going to make the heroic effort to get it out again so soon.  Another game is to take any one of his toys and slowly approach the upstairs banister, slowly and carefully pushing the toy over the edge to land with a giant clunk on the floor a level down in front of the front door.  Then he runs downstairs to get it and bring it back.  He also loves to rile Molly up until she's snarling and growling and leaping at his neck with her teeth (which she has very little chance of reaching).  I swear, he thinks it's funny.

I'm not sure now if he ever had kennel cough, since he only sneezed for two or three days and then was fine.  At any rate, neither he nor Molly got any worse.

I am finally ready to say to the 'public' that I am out of work STILL and need to find a job.  None of my independent business efforts have panned out; not my jewelry or my internet sales.  Most people (if not all) are certainly not surprised by this, but that just makes it all the more embarrassing.  I had hoped deeply and sincerely for these things to work, as they seemed to answer every one of my needs.  It's disappointing and really hard to admit failure, especially since it puts me back where I had dreaded more than anything being again - looking for a daily-grind job, where my boss is cruel and the work is stressful and I can't achieve my dreams of independence and the financial ability to help others around me.  I will again be put in situations that will threaten to mercilessly destroy what progress I have made with my less-than-perfect mental health.  During the last 9 months that I haven't been working, I have lived off my severance package, credit cards, and my entire 401k, but it's over; I'm out of money, and I'm out of credit.  I don't know what's going to happen.  Now would be the time to express a deep faith and trust that everything will work out and that God will take care of me and my family who now has to support me again, but all I really feel sure of is that I will somehow come out on the other end of this tough time.  I have no idea what kind of messmy situation and I might be by then, and I fear that it will be bad.  So far, my efforts to find a job that will even pay some of my bills has yielded not much. 

Wow - all together, I think it may have taken me two hours to write this blasted post, though I haven't been writing the whole time.  Regardless though, I have other stuff to do, so I'm done for now.  Maybe will come back later.