Life Inside - ABQ arrival 9, November

A large, double-paned window offers a view into the carport. At its opposite end is a door into the laundry room. To the left of that door is the one into the living room. Three small bedrooms, one bath, for a total of about 1,100 square feet. The houses on either side are maybe 12 feet away. It was perfectly adequate for the "working years."

Nowadays, I usually step out into several thousands of acres and totter over to a hole I dug sometime before. If there's a breeze, I'll orient myself to take advantage.

This morning, I flip the switch for the light and the fan and reach down to rotate the heater's timer. It's a leisurely activity and I've brought coffee and a book. I remind myself to buy another pair of reading glasses to leave on the edge of the sink. I compare the posture to my usual squat and wonder how soon my hips and knees'll grow stiff from just sitting.

The fan sounds like an idling jet.

The stench wafts past Mr. Nose on its way to be "ex-hausted."

The heat is a pleasant assuagement for the other details.

But then there's the mirror when I move to leave. How'd I get so old?! And PHAT!




It's wonderful to lie next to her, caressing her face and arm, but it's been 15 years since it's gone any further.

She's able to drive if she needs to, but she thinks it's the driving, from cat-sit to cat-sit, for ten years now, that's the primary cause. The sciatica is so painful she wants to avoid doing any until she can be seen by the specialists, next month, and get some professional advice. I'm here to chauffeur while her brother takes another international jaunt, this time to Egypt.

He'll be back in two weeks; he likes the "overview" tours and has been to many places around the world. We avoid crossing paths. He's available to resume the driving when Phoebe's ready (she's getting a whole new drivetrain), but he's no good for lying next to or reading bedtime stories. And he hasn't the least idea of how to do nothing...something Michelle and I are both highly adept at.

But it's odd how doing nothing out there takes on the dimension of nothing to do in Albuquerque. (As a geographer, I'm qualified to say: Albuquerque has more Walmarts per capita than any other city in the nation; it exemplifies the "culture.")

Last night (I was away a mere month this time) we got out found objects and tubes of paint (she did serigraphs back in the day) which, apparently, doesn't go bad, and started a project. I drank rum to fend off the barking dogs, sirens, roar of the >1,000,000 refrigerators within the metro area.

Commitment has the echo of quid pro quo. There's none of that here; it's love, pure love.

But outside's a wasteland; a hell.

The Price of Indoor Plumbing

People often ask, "What do you do out there?" I have a number of glib responses but my main one is about enjoying the quiet. 

There's a lot between the lines in what follows. If you peruse this year's posts you'll see I took several "breaks." And although I need to be here through the grieving, now that Susan has walked on I can look forward to returning to the nomadic lifestyle...where barking dogs aren't usually an issue; and if they are it's a simple matter to move.   



Thursday, December 3, 2015 (emailed at 6:29 p.m.)

Dear Councilors:

On January 17, annoyed by the barking of a neighbor's dog, I emailed each of you regarding the history of the city noise ordnance. I had been the target of vindictive behavior for previous complaints and anticipating having to file another was interested in learning the history of why the law provided for the disclosure of the complainer's name and address to the person complained about. 

I am retired and travel much of the time. I did my best to ignore the dog when I was in town. However, in January my mother-in-law's health began seriously deteriorating and I needed to stay in Albuquerque to supervise her care. 

After hearing the dog all summer, I finally filed a complaint on November 2nd. As per procedure, the City sent a letter alerting the dog's owners. It was quiet for a few days but soon the dog was again barking all day.

My mother-in-law died on November 12. Since then her 59 year-old daughter, 60 year old son and I (age 63) have been dealing with tremendous grief and the myriad responsibilities associated with settling her estate. Through it all the dog has barked nearly all day long each and every day. 

THEN

I filed a second complaint on November 25. This evening I called and spoke with Carlotta at Animal Control about what was happening with the case. She is doing all she can to help but the spectre of retribution, along with everything else we are dealing with, looms large.

I'm writing to let you know how this is evolving. It's my experience that people who allow their dogs to bark incessantly do not care about their neighbors. Animal Control's protocol requires complainers to agree to mediation. It seems disingenuous to suggest that someone like my neighbor is going to be interested in discussing the problem with me. And quite frankly, given their demonstration of disregard, I have little optimism for a positive outcome via mediation.

All the above is simply FYI. I hope that as you give thought to improving the ambiance of Albuquerque you'll continue to look for solutions to this problem that many of us face. 

Sincerely,

MFH

NOW