Takes all kinds

What to do what to do?
I can not believe it.
What do you get when you have a fairly new floor in a kitchen and a tenant gets it grimy with dirt and grease and than they put wax over all that?
Well, I know what I get...a sore back and arm from trying to strip it all off.

Ahh ha

I think I have had my 'ahh ha' moment. Sure, my knees have been slowly getting worse over the years. That started when I dislocated the kneecap in high school. In fact it dislocated a couple of different times in basketball. And again in college when I was dancing to Redneck Mother at a frat party. Oh yeah, I guess again when I was playing volleyball in college. Than over the course of my life time after college, I abused it even more-my knees, my back, pretty much my whole body. Man, I think back to what I all used to do. All the lifting milk cans and hay bales and five gallon buckets of feed. At jobs during the summer between college in factories Than having three kids and continuing a life of hard labor--no pun intended. It has only been the last four years that I have really been forced to slow down.

But I was refusing to accept it.

I had my ah ha moment today. I was slapped in the face with it. Working with my husband in an apt., trying to help him move a roll of carpet, the stove, reach up to screw the blind brackets to the window frame, painfully brought back how I used to do those things alone. I moved appliances, I could pull a huge full extended WOODEN ladder out of a basement and set it up against houses that I painted WHILE my kids were in a playpen below. I carried five gallon buckets of paint--not one, but two--up a flight of stairs. I pushed a mower strapped with a 9 mo. old in a baby pack. Heck, I loaded the mower in and out of the back of my car by myself. Shoveled snow off sidewalks for hours-and LOVED it. I thoroughly enjoyed working.

But not today. The scariest part came when I finally got to sit after a long day of working and getting dinner made and cleand up. I got this horrible dizzy spell as I sat down to watch some TV. Damn migrain. What now, is my whole body going to hell? What am I going to do? Work is my life. I dont know how to relax, I dont know how to have fun. I dont know what else to do!

So I will go to bed feeling my knees and my shoulder pound.Try not to feel that numbness in my neck and arm and the nauseating migraine linger. Hope I dream again, not being aware of my body except for a feeling of freedom.

29 years

We have been married now 29 years. Sunday was our anniversary and it resembled the day 29 years ago. Big rolling clouds, sun, and windy! But even though we had snow the weekend before, it was dry this Sunday. Creig and I drove 2 hours to Galena IL. Strolled up and down Main St checking out the shops. As always, we were drawn to the architecture and old history items that many of the shops had to offer.

We had to get away --far enough away so we would not feel guilty that we weren't working at the apts. My knee was hurting but I didnt care. Just as we were ready to call it an afternoon, I found a sun to commemorate the day. I look for a pair of artsy earrings or a sun plaque for my garden on any trip we take. This sun was happy and holding his own in the wind. Kind of paralleling my husband and I and our years together.

You talkin to me?

I used to look forward to my walks every morning. Something about getting out in nature, taking photographs, having the dog with me. Since my knee replacement I dread it somewhat. Yet I go, and Hogan knows about the time we usually head out. He sits on the other side of the door keeping an eye on me.

Instead of the usual trail, I started on the other side of Big Woods lake today. New smells for Hogan and he was very excited. At the point where we would turn to go back to the car, I heard someone yelling. There is a dog further down the path romping our way. It wasn't on a leash and I didnt see any one following behind it. Great, Hogan is not the most socialized dog. He gets really excited but I don't trust if it would lead to more aggressive behavior or not. Instead, I avoid any confrontation. The dog got around Hogan and did the greet and sniff from the back. I didn't hesitate and kept walking hoping the owner would be coming soon. Finally up ahead, there she was, sitting on a bench. As I got closer I asked if that was her dog and she nodded. My concern was that Hogan (big chow with thick dense fur) couldn't be trusted and I would hate to have anything happen. She kind of scowled a response about it being a good way to teach her dog a lesson. I said, "No, I'm serious." So she got up and started yelling at the dog to get over to her, which only got mine excited and he in turn decided he wanted to get to her dog before she did. Finally she gets a hold of its halter and under her breath she mumbled 'bitch' as she went to sit back down.

Excuse me? Who is a bitch? Hogan? He is a male. Well, an it, but he aint no bitch. So I'm guessin she was referring to me!

I was stunned. I mean I hear rudeness all the time from customers in stores, at restaurants, from tenants- but this shocked me. There is a sign posted saying all dogs must be on a leash 6' or shorter. Hogan could have made breakfast out of that thing. (I doubt he would but I did not want to find out)

I continued on without responding thinking maybe she was there to think through some things. Maybe she lost her job, maybe she had to move back in with her parents. Or what if her bf broke up with her, or she was being evicted from her apt? It was too beautiful of a place to be so rude just because one is rude.

There are rare moments when I meet someone that is noticeably polite. When I do it is very refreshing. I showed the apt yesterday to a very young gal who was very well mannered. And she wasn't pretending just to impress me just so she had a better chance at the apt.
I wanted to rent to her on the spot.

I have been called the 'b' word before. Many times in fact but, be assured, I am only when need be. Usually, I aint no bitch.

Being green before it was the 'IN' thing

My husband sat down last night after a long day of hard work. Reclined back and held the newest Fine Homebuilding magazine on his lap. As he opened the first page, admiring the photo of the old renovated house, he quietly commented how that is what he had seen himself doing. Instead now, he fixes up houses for someone to come in and abuse.

Like I have mentioned earlier, we love old houses. We drive around neighborhoods admiring the architecture, the lines, the history. Before my husband was a plumber, he was a manager for a local business. On the way home one day there was this beautiful mansion right in the downtown area of Waterloo. A sign was posted on the door "Selvage for sale"

He came home all excited. This home was typical of the times. Very large, hard to maintain and in a location undesirable to live. Originally it was built by a wood baron in the very early 1900's. You were greeted with the grand foyer complete with a fireplace. There was a parlor and a music room, the stairs off the foyer were interrupted with a huge landing and the most beautiful full height ceiling stained glass windows. Everything about this house was magnificent. There was a walnut room, a birds eye maple room, an oak room--everything was quarter sawn wood. Even after years of being a funeral home, you could see the money and craftsmanship someone had invested.

They tried to sell the mansion. But like I said, it was in a downtown location and few wanted to live there. Some had visions of moving the building to some place more desirable. The weight restrictions on the roadways struck that idea. I know of a couple who thought maybe they could cut the house up in sections and move it that way. Well, more restrictions and codes halted that idea. It would have been considered new construction meaning everything up to current code. A house that size, the financing was impossible.

So a man bought the selvage rights. I had 2 little ones at the time and the oldest was about 3 or 4. After my husband got off work, we would go to the house and remove baseboards, door trim, window trim and doors and little things here and there. All the nails had to be removed and loaded up in our beat up old truck. It was in the middle of a very hot and humid summer. Needless to say, it was a lot of work but we had enough woodwork to replace the inferior pine that was in our old house.

In addition to the woodwork, but my husband decided to save the old turret (complete with slate roof, copper finial, curved glass windows) and make a playhouse for the kids in our backyard. The long story behind that crazy idea is found at the link to my picturetrail albums. There is one album dedicated to that story. http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/4555777
My husband was determined and he did make it happen. And now my kids have many fond memories of that playhouse.

We hated to see so many of these beautiful sound pieces of art torn down and taken to the landfill. For a few years after our first 'salvaged' project, we were able to go into many more houses and selvage history. Now 24 years later, it is 'fashion' to reuse. I see it on HGTV all the time.

Just like in the first house we bought that had so much fire and water damage done to it, and before it was torn down, we took the oak flooring and the huge massive front porch posts. I now have a beautiful oak floor in my kitchen. One of the posts I refinished and it divides the living room from the diningroom. Our entire main floor displays the woodwork we removed from the mansion. My living room is birch, my dining room is oak, my office is birdseye maple. Some oak was used in the kitchen and in the bathroom, my husband incorporated the huge headers and door trim.

If our house wasn't of historical value before, it is now.

Monday monday

It is Monday already. BUT the apt. is officially finished. Even the carpets have been cleaned. And For Anyones Information (FAY) we do all the work except that. I refuse to start hauling a heavy carpet cleaning machine around from apt to apt.

Now the process to rent it out begins once again. The phone will be ringing non stop, I will try and screen as many on the phone that I can but ultimately I will make appointments to show it. Believe it or not, 80% of those will not show. Ten minutes is the time I allow for anyone to be late. After that I leave. It just amazes me how many set up a time to come out and see the place, sound determined that I rent to them over the phone, than dont show up. Not even a decent phone call to cancel.

Let the week begin!

For the love of an old house

The first two years or so my husband and I were married, we dreamed. Dreamed of the kind of house we wanted. We would go to home shows, show an interest in log cabins. Than there was the energy crisis back in the 80's. Oh we were gonna have an earth home. The A shaped house appealed to us al-be-it a very short time. I am not sure how we got hooked on old homes. The older the better. Maybe because when we started seriously looking, the only ones we could afford were the old fixer uppers. Whatever the reason, it became almost an obession.

We rented seven different places in five years. During those five years I recall my husband saying he had always dreamed of living in a house with a big ol wrap around porch. I dont think I had ever even seen one. But can you beleive it? We now live in a house with a DOUBLE wrap around porch. Built around 1897 or so by a banker. And no, it isn't a mansion. The banker was the 'tight' kind of banker. (no hidden money in the walls)
He had a home in Boone IA that he sank all his millions into. But no matter. This home was old, unusual and at a price and contract we could afford.

Heck we were only 27 at the time, with two kids and lots of visions.

A pic of us than on our porch with our dog Higgins actually relaxing and spending time doing nothing. How long did that
last?

I AM NOT

I need to clarify something. I am not a slum lord. My husband is not a slum lord. Ok, so most of our properties are in low income areas--OK all are in low income areas. Many living in those areas are on government assitance or work at fast food restaurants. Yes, many are in 'the hood' where witnessing the sale of drugs through a car window is common. Are there run down houses in the neighborhoods? Yes. Are there law enforcement officers patroling the streets? Yes. Why does that mean I must be a slum lord? We take care in our houses. We put lots of time and sweat AND money in them. We do what we can afford but it is always quality work. We do not rent to anyone and everyone.We all need a place to live and the low income deserve that place to be decent. The single moms, the Vets, the elderly, the struggling adult taking jobs, any job.

Too often when I am showing an available unit, those going through are surprised at how nice it is. Impressed that the bathroom has updated plumbing and fixtures. Loving the high security doors and windows we have. Amazed how CLEAN they are.
We do not rent anything out that we ourselves would not live in. They may not be the grand hotel but they are not slums.

Let me say, we are NOT slum lords (I have the bank account to prove it)

Missing something.....

When we first began our hobby with the properties, we had dreams of restoring our now 105 yr old house. That was 24 yrs ago. Seems all our time now is spent fixing the rental units. I insist though that I get some time out in my garden. What would I do without that little piece of land out back that I can call all my own. There I can create, reconnect and toil in the dirt and in my mind. There was a time when all I could think about was what I could be creating in my beds. I yearned to make it my haven.

I miss that. That feeling of being so lost in something so enjoyable. And it has been the last couple days that I feel so apathetic about all the work we do at the rentals and how much time we spend doing it, and what gratification does it bring us anymore?

When we first started this hobby it was because of our love of old houses. And there were so many around Waterloo abandoned and needing love. I painted houses during the summers because I was a stay-at-home mom. The first house we bought was right next door to one I was painting. (they had me paint it BLUE!!!) A beautiful old home with massive porch pillars and grand woodwork inside.

Years prior, there had been a fire and the roof was never repaired so from much rain, the inside was in need of lots of work.

We were young, with very little credit. Those were the years when times were tough- high interest rates, no banks looking to loan money to any young unexperienced rookies. We came up with the $2000 to buy it. But with no one to lend us money to fix it up, we had to let it go. Before we did, we left with the porch pillars, most of the woodwork and hardwood flooring. In just a few short years, the city tore the house down. What a shame...with our love, it could have been a grand home again.

And that was our first property.

Dang!

Sure has been a downer. All the repairs we have to do at the apt. My husband and I spent so much time over last summer fixing this place up only to have someone move in and in five months do so much damage. During all the 21 yrs we have been landlords, this is by far the worse and the most time consuming damage that has been done to any of our units. Every door totalling 4, had to be replaced and since all of them were kicked in, the frames were cracked so those had to be replaced also. And..and...the list goes on.

Time spent on that is time taken away from more fun things..Fun things like---fixing up the apt that has been sitting for about a year just waiting. Yeah, that's it. Those kind of fun things

Day's end

Nothing like a beautiful sunset out in the country where I grew up to wash all the stress away. A peaceful drive up to mom's last night proved to be just that.

Today I answered no phones, did no bookwork, cleaned nothing and never saw one tenant. Instead I spent the day with mom. The biggest thrill of the day was getting to see one of the Decorah eagles. He sat up in a tree as if waiting for me. Loved watching him fish for breakfast for his brood.

How oh how?

What a day! How in the world did I do all this when the kids were little? All the running I have to do for the properties, collecting rents (or trying to) at the beginning of the month, phone call after phone call, showing apts., cleaning, and paying bills. Than I did it for my house and my family.....laundry, groceries, the never ending cooking, bookkeeping, paying bills, keeping the house clean, yard work, shopping for the kids and this all having to be done before any of their concerts and sporting events; help with homework, art projects!!!!! I yi yi yi!

Today I have just been spinning spinning. I have some good prospects for my one bedroom-and some not so good. I got a 30 day notice for two other apts and about four tenants are having trouble with their rents for April. They all want a 3 day from me so they can go to organizations for assistance. All meaning I wont get money for those until April.

Supper on the stove, laundry in the machine, bills in their envelopes and now headed out the door to load some piles of yard waste I raked together yesterday.

Get out of the house before the phone starts ringing-again!

Shattered and moved on

Anything glass was broken, evidence of more abuse from the holes in the bedroom wall-one the size of a fist, another indentation appeared to possibly be a body. This door was shredded and it was obvious someone did their best to get it open because it was ripped off the hinges.

How frightening it was for me to be clearing all the stuff out and cleaning up, just thinking about being in such a situation as this gal must have been.

No dark cloud over me

Hoping there is no dark cloud over me today

TGIF

Never has been a secret that I do not enjoy cooking. Maybe that is why I am glad it's Friday. We usually grab a sandwich on our way home from working at the apts. So since we work most nights and through the weekends, Friday is jut like any other day.

What a feeling to get my Efficiency rented today. I am tired of the phone ringing non-stop. It is rare to have an efficiency open for so long. Word of mouth, or demand for them gets them filled very fast. For some reason this time around I havent had very good luck. Three different times I had someone to rent it, and they ended up losing their job or just disappearing.

I try to do as much screening over the phone as I can. What a rash of 'just out of jail, been in jail, drug charges, just started work, looking for work, have a record of domestic abuse...theft charges, many FE&D's'....it is so difficult to find a good tenant especially when some of my units arent in the best of neighborhoods.

One unit rented now on to clear out and clean up the one I evicted the other day. Gonna take some work. The gal had an abusive boyfriend and it was 'abused'...