Selective Hearing Hits Again….

at mom’s doing some fall clean up stuff… she says you have no heat and can’t move and have no money and won’t move… what the hell is going on!?! I would appreciate the straight out truth and the reality version. she also said shawn talked to you several times on the phone about money? was this recent. i plan on asking him about it on the ride home.

This is the email I received from my sister a few hours ago. *deep breathes* And people wonder why I never call my mother…..oi vey. I prefer writing. At least when I email, I can bring up the saved version and read it for possible misunderstandings.

I’m not sure how my mum twists things around like she does. I’m mostly sure that it’s not on purpose. But it’s still frustrating.

This is what I sent back:

!!!!!!!!
yes, I have heat!
What I told her was that since it hasn’t been cold yet, I don’t know -how well- this apartment is heated, not that it doesn’t have heat! I haven’t talked to shawn about money in forever. And the only time I talk to him on the phone is when he answers your phone! And any time he and I have talked about it, I’ve talked to YOU about it afterwards. Mom probably said whatever she said because when we talked on the phone and discussed money, she asked if I had asked you for money and I said I hadn’t, because of how awkward Shawn makes things in terms of money. Mom asked me if I needed money and I said that yes, I could use some, because I was still behind from when I was out of full time work over the summer. She offered and I accepted, I didn’t ask. Just as when you pay me to babysit. You offer and I accept, but I would never ask you to pay me and if I were financially better off, I would be more insistant that you didn’t pay me. I enjoy watching your kids when I’m able, not to mention the fact that I’m you’re sister and their aunt- it’s not a ‘job’ to me, I’m family and I’m glad to do it whenever I can.
Reality and truth– no, I mostly don’t have the means to move right now. BUT I also don’t need to move right now. Yes, where I am living is very small and not ‘ideal’, but it is free rent, free utilities, and convenient for all involved. It has heat, it has a bathroom, it has a fridge. It doesn’t have a stove, but I don’t cook. And when I need/want to cook, I can use Elisabeth’s kitchen. I house and pet sit for her when she and Bill go visit their son, she feeds my cats when I come see you or go out of town for the weekends. I help out at their shop when they need it, she lets me read and keep as many books and things from there as I want or need. I trim the plants, she offers me greens and other things that she gets from the food co-op she belongs to.
It’s a barter system, and so far it’s working out really well. If it stops working out, I’ll move….
Mom doesn’t always get the story straight. Sometimes we hear a different version of what is being said. Thank you for checking with me about it, though! 🙂
love youuuuuu
-[echoooooooo]-
ps– did you see those pics I sent you??