Like a rock

Made the rounds last night to different properties and dumpsters in the old truck. Seems anyone and everyone thinks it is ok to dump their junk for free alongside a dumpster. Than the city sends us a citation so now we have to spend time and money to haul it away. Doesn't seem right but we do what we gotta do.

I got to thinking about all the trucks we have had over the years. We don't go for new or fancy or expensive. Practical, affordable is our middle name. And besides, we never had to worry about it getting all scratched up or dented.

The first one we purchased was from a farmer way down in Dysart. He had the Ford parked out in the middle of his dairy pasture with hay piled high for the cows. I think we paid a hundred bucks for it. Big ol stick shift right up out of the floor. In time we could see the road below us around that stick shifter. And oh to find the gears! Around and around one had to work that stick to get it in first second or third. Reverse was pretty easy. My poor father in law had too many bad experiences with this truck. Brakes failing, flat tires etc.
Eventually we sold the thing to the guy who worked the scale at the landfill.

Next one we had was an old brown Ford again. This one was cool. It came with a topper. Cool for the kids because they loved to ride in the back all hidden away. This is the one we used for mowing. Loaded up four mowers in the back and five of us up front. My son would sit on my lap and the girls would squeeze in between me and my husband. Three on the tree. Eventually we took the topper off because it was hard to load it up with 'stuff' from the properties. We sold that one to a junkman that made his way around town. I refused to drive it any more because it was getting so sensitive. I would 'lose' the gear. My husband was the only one confident enough to attempt it.

Next one was a Chevy. And we paid 1500 for it. That's a lot of money! Husband bought it from a co-worker. It is the one we still have today. It is an automatic so the kids could drive it around on their own to mow lawns. When my son got his license and there was no junk car to hand down to him to use, the truck was next on the list. He decided to pimp it up by taking the dash cover off and plans to replace it with a new one. Well, like many of his ideas..this one did not go very far. He never put the cover back on so we drive it around today with all the 'guts' exposed.
Ya have to pump the heck out of the gas before you turn the key. And when you do get it running, you have to really ride that gas pedal. Reve it up so to speak. Have to do that a few times before it will stay running. In the winter it takes that and a prayer or two and some other colorful language to get it started. The gas tank cover hangs open on one hinge, the tail gate needs to be opened with a big ol screwdriver, there is no radio or AC. In all the years we have had this honey, we have had the oil changed twice and had one major tune up done to it. It has hauled furniture when the kids moved in and out and back in and out again. I cant count the number of trips it made to the dump. I have loaded more dirt sand and stone on it for my yard not to mention mowers and lawn equipment. She aint pretty but she has been around a long time.

Maybe our next one will be a shiny one

Hardworkers all around

My inlaws were here for the weekend. They came for my daughter's wedding shower. My husband and I and they were sitting around the table reminiscing. Talking about the days back when my father and mother in law and even my husband's grandma would come for an entire weekend, sometimes a whole week to help us out at the properties.

Oh the memories. Taking down an 80+ cottonwood tree, a 20
foot chiminey, loading junk on the old crappy truck lookin like the Hillbillies moving to Hollywood. Breaking up cement sidewalks, building porches, stairs; drywalling, painting, stripping woodwork, laying floors. There were days it was so hot we couldnt stand being around each other. Other days it was wet and cold. Some of my best memories of them is sitting together in the old brown truck, driving off somewhere to unload or load.

Poor Bernie! All the troubles he had with our old trucks; loss of brakes on the highway, breaking down on the highway, flat tires, shot alternator.
Love you Bernie.

There is no way we would have been able to get this far with our properties without their help. Such unconditional dedication they gave us. I wondered, how old were they when we were going so hard and heavy back than? Turns out they were the age we are now. How the heck were they able to do that? My husband and I for years now have struggled with this work. Course, he is doing physical work all day at his job, than comes home and works at the houses and of course all weekend. The body wears down lots faster that way I guess.

Love my inlaws and appreciate all that they have done for us and continue to do for us and our kids. Hope they are around a long time.

On the Safe Side

One gets comfortable after awhile and probably doenst take the care and precautions we should. The areas most of my rentals are located are not exactly the best to be alone in the evenings. But over the years I have gotten 'used' to running here or there when needed after dark. I probably should not have money in the car with me as most of the areas know my vehicle by now. When I am around quite a bit the beginning of the month it's a good indication I might have money. And maybe when I drive out to two properties that are right in the hood, so to speak, I should go around the drug dealing house. The house where at least 10 male youth stand around 24/7 waiting for business. But like I said, one gets comfortable after awhile.

I don't take lip anymore either. I have said I am not a bitch but I can be when I am pushed to the limits. My son is a big guy and he has to take lip all the time. Smaller men like to pump up their chest and get lippy with him. I guess I had similiar experiences growing up too. The other night he was pushed a bit too far and he reacted. Not a wise thing when it is four against one. Even if the one is 6'10" and over 250lbs.

So, I hate it when tenants or anyone associated with any of my tenants tell me I am disrespecting them. Why is it when I remain calm and collected they accuse me of not caring. And yet when I get a little attitude in my voice (attitude but never raised), I am being 'all that'. This is coming from those that breathe with an attitude.
Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

Just a couple of nights ago I took this young gal to court. It has been a year of constant battles with her to get her rent. And she makes little effort to inform me of her situation or contact me. It is hard when I have no way of talking to many of these people. They are very low income so they don't always have a phone and I can drive out to their place numerous times and leave notes but that doesn't mean they will try and contact me.
So, with this gal, I had had enough of it and filed against her. She gets legal aide involved but not until the day before the hearing. We made an agreement that if all May and June rent was paid by the end of June 1st she could stay. I spent two hours after 9:30 pm sitting in my car waiting for a boyfriend to show up with the money. And by the time he showed up, I was very tired and irritated.

Guess who had the attitude?

Questioning

I found it very disheartening...almost disturbing after cleaning this last apt. Living in it was a gal, a bit older than my 26 yr old daughter, works in the same place but each has such a totally different life. How does one get up each day to such a filthy messy unkempt life and not be bothered by it? How does one take a shower in such grime and feel 'clean' after? Come home each night and work all week to what? An abusive-lazy-good for nothing-take all the money I make, boyfriend. Than sit around and smoke and have some beers and watch tv and discuss what? Develop what? expand on what? no hobbies, no interests, any goals? How can the world survive if this is the future? I am saddened and scared. Too many children are being raised in an environment of no pride in where they live or how they take care of themselves. Many are not taught HOW to take care of themselves, respect themselves let alone respect others.
I have my garden, my photography. I keep up my house, my yard, keep creative with projects. I teach my kids to clean, cook, sew...love themselves and others. Patience and compassion-respect and honor...More of this needed. Not money, not hand outs nor sympathy but encouragement and a hand to teach.
I want it to be different for my tenants. I help them, I give them chances...but too often it doesn't matter. They don't seem to want it. And that is sad.

Long ago

Tonight I worked cleaning in one terribly filthy apartment. My 26 yr old daughter was there helping. As she scrubbed the oven and stove I didnt hear the "oh Gross! Oh ewww how am I supposed to clean this?" coming from her. I remember not too long ago when the kids were very young, and came with my husband and I when we worked on the apts. Most often they did not enjoy the dirty work. My youngest loved to scrub floors but that is because he wanted to play in the water bucket. Or when he got to use power tools, no bribing was required. The girls seemed to enjoy painting cause they made designs on the walls--goofy girls. At their very youngest, each had their own mower or would take turns and every week we all piled into the front of the brown 'crappy' truck as they called it. Austin had to sit on my lap, the girls squeezed in between Creig and I. They would get paid at the end of the evening with their choice of ice cream cone at the 4
Queens Dairy. Bubble gum swirl if I remember correctly was usually the choice.
Sigh...now they are grown and dont work with us as much. In fact, my husband and I dont even work together much. Tonight I was at one apartment cleaning and across the parking lot at another one of our complexes, he was by himself working on the plumbing in the bathroom. I stopped over on my way home and sat there on a five gallon bucket as he took apart a medicine cabinet for the parts so he could fix the one already hanging. That's my man, practical and making use of what he has.
This used to be such a passion of ours. The excitement of fixing a unit up, what we could all do with it, were always at the top of our conversations. We have slowed down, and struggle now just to muster up the energy to do it over and over with each apartment as it empties.

I miss the whining of the kids, the teaching them, the fire in my husband as he comes up with great ideas to redo a unit- Friday date nights at the lumberyard or the drive around the neighborhoods looking for our next conquest.
Seems so long ago....

Last Thing

Really the last thing I should be doing is writing here. I tell ya, when it rains it pours. I put so many things on hold or did them half way to get by until this porch sale I had was finally over. The basement here and two rooms upstairs, the basement at the apartment-FULL of stuff collected to be sold. Four years worth. WEll I finally committed to two days to have a sale. But it took two WEEKS to get it all ready. That was last weekend. Unfortunately it rained both days. I still had good traffic and what didnt sell went to Goodwill.

I thought once the sale was over I could get caught up on the rentals or the planning of Angie's wedding shower. Instead I have been trying to multi-task too many things and nothing is getting finished.

Court last Wednesday for a tenant of 3 yrs. Her boyfriend hit her upside the back of the head with a bat. He is lazy, doesn't work, takes her money, sweet talks everyone and WAS finally put in jail for what he did. I told her, you let him come back and you are out of here. I will not tolerate the man around my other tenants. Well, she let him back. So, I gave her a 30 day notice to move. And when she failed to pay her rent this month I took her to court. Wednesday of this week I go to court on another tenant. He is on section 8. I guess you could say I am cleaning house because I filed an FE&D on another gal that I am sick and tired of trying to track down and get money from.

So, like I said...being on here is really the last thing I should be doing. I might start today by getting a walk in before it starts raining again. Hogan is sitting on the porch waiting for me.

Drama house

So, I have this big old house. What a grand place it must have been a hundred years ago. Nice wide oak woodwork, beamed ceilings, huge foyers and hallways. What was once a single family home, now accomodates seven apts. The first is a one bedroom. The other six are efficiences. Cozy little units with tiny kitchens fixed up really nice. And for one person that is on a fixed income, they are a perfect fit.

Unless the 7 tenants don't fit with each other.

Pam lives in #1. She is my age, on disability, has two sons one which is in and out of jail for meth every few months.
Justin lives in #2. Young guy, kind of hippish. His family owns the pawn shop downtown. He just wants a nice inexpensive place to live. No contact with anyone else. He wants no socializing or to even have the other tenants know his name.
Good ol Bill is in #2. He is a bit older than me. Has a drinking problem and according to two of the other tenants in the building, uses crack. He also likes to watch porn and if he gets to drinking, becomes a bit suggestive and obnoxious (I dont like how the guy looks at me but I act like I dont notice)
#4 is empty. Has been for over seven years. Husband tore up the bathroom to redo and there it sets.
Now Curtis is a good guy. Apt #6. Is currently unemployed but has done work for us in the past when I really need help with painting or cleaning. He is a good cleaner. Only problem with Curtis is that he is severely overweight. He can not do ladders or get down on the floor. Not only is he heavy but he smokes. He gets winded pretty quickly.
#6--Anthony! He was born on the same day and year I was. Good guy. He is a bit slow which is no big deal. I just wish he wouldnt TALK SO LOUD. I can hear him downstairs when I step into the building. The drama with Anthony is with his girlfriend. I dont like getting calls at 11:00 pm from her to discuss how awful this guy is to her. Cant seem to get through to her that she should STAY AWAY FROM THE GUY!!! What am I supposed to do about it?
In #7 I have a handicap gentleman and his neurotic girlfriend. The paramedics are called to that house at least every two weeks. She is either trying to kill herself. If she isn't than he is.

So what is all the drama about? Goodness. I get at least one phone call a day from Pam. She tells me about every detail in her life along with all the buzz and gossip in the building. There is a lot of he said, she said going on amongst them all.

It's gotten to the point where I have raised my voice and said

"I DONT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT. IT IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS. JUST STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER etc etc etc"

Worse than a dorm or my house when the kids were in grade school.

Oh, gotta go...phone is ringing. Gee, I wonder if it's Pam