Memory Lane

I am on a roll lately on the blogs. I do not know why my mind works this way. I have periods of dull thinking and then suddenly, flashes of memories that I have to put down on paper, or in my case, computer screen.

Yesterday our washing machine took a turn for the worse. We declared it dead, considering the costs of repair would about equal what it initially cost to buy. Sad thing, this planned obsolescence. So, we trekked off to purchase a new one and ended up buying an LG high efficiency washer that does not have an agitator, nor is it a front loader. Since my darling nephew Dan has started working for LG as an engineer developing Lithium Ion batteries for cars, I thought I would support his company and insure another paycheck for him, perhaps? And also, I was intrigued by the rave reviews of this product. It reminded me of the action an old time washboard uses. Which started me down memory lane...

I remember when my mother had a washer with a wringer on it, and I imagine no dryer when I was small. The clothes were squeezed through the frightening rollers that looked like they could crush our little hands, and hung on lines - either outside or inside in the basement in inclement weather. Wow, our towels must have really been like loofahs. We had two gigantic stationary tubs made of cast concrete (with a lead pipe for a drain!) and water was re-used after one washing for a second load to conserve money. I swear, our clothes smelled great! Maybe that was from hanging in the sun or the high phosphate detergents.

Another early memory that I have is listening to the radio with my older sister Suzanne on Saturday mornings before we had a television. The two shows that I remember were The Lone Ranger and a show that had characters named Big John and Little Sparky. The theme song was the Teddy Bear's Picnic and although I had to be really young, I can remember the song lyrics - "If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise..." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-fJlykpGjY) Big John would ask you to check your fingernails to see if they were clean and I remember doing so, thinking he could see through the radio! I also remember sitting in the corner of the living room where the radio lived and melting a Hershey bar near the furnace vent until it was so soft that it could be licked off the paper. Did this happen every Saturday morning like my memory tells me. Unlikely!! Probably once. Sodas, candy and the like were not regular parts of our diet - no wonder the memory stuck - it was so special.

The TV that took the radio's place was of course, black and white. My uncle Charles in Martins Ferry, Ohio was the first person I knew to have a color TV and I remember watching Bonanza. What a miracle to see the orange flames licking the corners of the introduction screen. Big Hoss had a rather greenish complexion as I recall, but who cared? I do not know when that invention was introduced to our wonderful little colonial in Youngstown, Ohio. I do remember my father being on an endless trek to Brown's Pharmacy nearby to use the tube tester machine. He would have to go into the back of the TV, and pull out tubes to be tested to figure out what the problem was. It really seemed like our first TV was in need of repair more than it worked. But, what a great invention. Saturday mornings with Fury (that horse could count!), and Sky King. And how about Howdy Doody? I am not sure if that was a local or national show. In my clouded childhood hazy memory, my older sister was actually on that show. Maybe since I thought she could do anything she would, of course, have been part of the audience.

Of course, there were many more amenities that today would seem obsolete. I was reminded recently that we had no air conditioning in our home when we were children. Summers meant open windows and with that, all the wonderful sounds of summer. Lawn mowers, cicadas, and even, if the wind was right, the rides at Idora Park Amusement park. The down side, of course, was lying in your bed on a hot night praying for the fan or an outside storm to create any little breeze. We also had our milk delivered to our house and put in an aluminum box outside on the breezeway. We had an egg man who delivered fresh eggs from his farm.

I could go on, but of course, anyone younger than me who might happen to read this, will by now be rolling their eyes at my old fogey memories. But I would give anything to have my father and mother reminding me of what life was like in their childhood. And how the heck did my grandmothers do the laundry for all those kids they had? Probably using a washing machine that had a washboard action - them!

Amy and Susan

Sam's dynamic duo of friends from Jr. High days on visited this past week. One day, while Sam was working, I took them to the Everglades National Park in search of alligators. We did encounter a huge one, lolling about by the side of the path. You can see him peeking up at us. Sorry, I didn't hang around to get a close up. Rather unnerving yet exciting. We also visited "Robert is Here", a well known South Florida fruit stand known for it's array of unusual produce and tropical flavored milkshakes. The neon purple fruit is called Dragon fruit. I would like to match that color for my next pedicure. After dinner with Harry and I, they even indulged me in a game of Scrabble. After that day, they were with Sam - off to Key West and other adventures for a week.

Amy and Susan had not seen each other for a very long time. Amy, on the left, is studying film at an art academy in San Francisco. Susan, on the right, is finishing her degree in Social Work at OSU and trying to get into the one year accelerated Master's program. They are somewhat opposite in nature. Amy is quieter, easy going and accepting. Susan is driven, talkative, and opinionated. Amy reminds me of a Dr. Seuss character. She is always dressed colorfully and decorated with accessories. She loves to knit and crochet and do crafts. When she mentioned perhaps working for Cirque du Soleil after school is finished, I thought she has perhaps found her calling. She would be outstanding as a set or costume designer. Susan has put herself through college, works long hours and does lots of volunteer work to further her career goals. I believe her determination is fostered by her father's proclamation that she would never succeed on her own. He refused to pay for school and she had to leave home and not turn back. She gained emancipation status and has done it on her own. She won't just be a Social Worker, she will probably run a non-profit. Great young women and great friends to Sam.

Chutzpah

Chutzpah is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad, but it is generally used negatively. The word derives from the Hebrew word ḥuṣpâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "audacity", and "impertinence."

An example - today I am at work at the Sea Dell. I received a phone call from a gentleman informing me that he was from the Middle Keys Dive School and that they would be using the pool in a few minutes for their lessons. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about. Was he a guest at the motel? No, he informed me, but that he had permission to use the pool and often came here to give instructions. He seemed annoyed at me for not understanding! I informed him that either myself, or my husband, would be the person who would have given him permission, and I didn't. But I would check with my husband. Which I did. And no, Harry had never spoken to the gentleman. (Although, I would not call his type of man a gentleman.) Harry went to the pool and the group was already making themselves quite comfortable. Harry gave him the option of renting a room and giving the lesson, or hitting the road.

I spoke with our manager who said that he had been here before giving lessons and had told her that he had permission. She felt badly that she had not questioned it. Why would she; he presented himself so authoritatively. There must be some sort of Karma going on here with our run of dirtbags lately. I will have to smack myself upside the head and get my Pollyanna attitude on. I need to get back on the sunny side!

Gone!

Phew. The PD (Professional Deadbeat) moved out today. No, the eviction did not occur. After discussing with our lawyer, it became more feasible to pay the family to leave. The eviction was going to take long enough that the lost rent would be offset by money to "assist" the exodus. The house is fairly intact, minus lamps, silverware, all linens and two beds. Goodbye and another life lesson learned. Oh, we did inherit a 1995 BMW 530 that is not running, in case anyone wants a Beemer...

Professional Deadbeat

If you rent to someone, and they don't pay the rent, you have to go to court to evict them.

Does this make sense, that the person is holding your property hostage and yet you have to pay to go through a tedious time consuming process to get them to leave?

Well, we have what Harry calls a "professional deadbeat" holding our rental house hostage. And, we are discovering that he is way more clever and dangerous than we first imagined.

This man brought his pregnant wife and three sons here from Chicago. He told Harry an elaborate story about why they had needed to leave that area and that he was a trucker and would be making long hauls with his own truck. He paid up front for the first month and security deposit, no problem. There was a problem with the air conditioning and when Harry went to the house, he was thrilled at how clean they were keeping it. The first of the next month came and went - no rent. Harry contacted the tenant after it was late for a few days and the tenant said that his wife had delivered the baby and was depressed and he had needed the money to buy her mother a plane ticket to come here from Poland. Because she was so depressed, he hadn't been able to work as much but would catch up. My radar was catching some clues that made me uncomfortable when he starting ranting on the phone about the poor medical treatment his wife had received after the delivery. Of course, he has no insurance and the hospital will be eating the expense but instead of gratitude he was full of complaints.

More time passed, no rent. We didn't here from the tenant unless we called which is always a bad sign. If someone has intent to pay you, they call and ask for an extension. He said his truck's computer had been stolen causing him extra expenses. Then we received a call from the next door neighbor saying the police had been to the house twice in the middle of the night with a warrant for the tenant's arrest but he was not there. We got nervous and made arrangements to inspect the house and the wife told us that she would not move until "the court throws me out." Not what I would call a responsible attitude! I did a photo inventory and discovered beds and mattresses that were part of the furniture in the rental were missing. Much of our furniture was placed on the upper porch out in the elements. Harry noticed that the garden hose was up on the upper second floor deck.

Harry started the eviction notice and a three day notice was taped to the inside of the door because it was raining. The wife called the police. (Yes, Harry was wrong, you cannot enter the house without permission - but you know he is a bit of a buckaroo). Then, the tenant called one evening ranting and raving and not making much sense. He accused Harry of slashing his wife's tires and denting her car! Harry hung up the phone and called the police. He said he just wanted on record that he had received a threatening phone call but did not want to file charges. The eviction proceedings continued, only to be thrown out by the judge on a technicality - that we had a P.O Box and by law the clients needed two more days than normal in the proceedings. Of course, no one told us that. Going to the court house to do this process is like finding the light switch in the dark in a house you have never been in because you have no idea what you are doing and get zero help from the clerks. Harry had great luck finding a person in another city who took the time to answer his questions, but at our court house, forget it.

So, the proceedings began again. The tenant made another veiled threat to Harry. In the meantime, the tenant is back at home with his semi in the front yard and a hose broke spewing hydraulic fluid all over the street and yard. This is very caustic material and the neighbor called, yet again and reported the tenant to the code violation people. Poor neighbor, I am sure he is just thrilled with our renter at this point who now has a semi in the yard. Harry visited the renter again, who now seemed rational and shared a long tale of woe with Harry about how he didn't get paid for $25,000 worth of hauls because the contractor went bankrupt and how his truck is broken, his father is an alcoholic and cannot help and wants to give up and move back to Poland. At this point, we cannot wait to get the man moved out and Harry is willing to help him in any way (including giving him money) to get his truck fixed, loaded and out of town. I told Harry he was nuts, that this guy is trouble. He vacillates from charming and engaging to threatening. Fortunately, Harry kept his wallet in his pocket!

The kicker came today. Our realtor accompanied Harry to the house today along with the Bank Appraiser on an appointment set up several days ago(all legal and part of the lease) and the tenante would not let them in but pointed through the front door to a huge hole in the front hall ceiling and the tenant begins a story about mold with more veiled threats to Harry that the tenant is going to go to court and say that he hasn't paid the rent because the landlord hasn't taken care of the house. The realtor commented that there has never been any damage to the ceiling before she has been in the house many times. What Harry discovered is that the hose he noticed on the second floor deck is now running into the house upstairs throught the sliding glass door at the spot of the hole in the ceiling. Fortunately, I have photos taken two week prior and the condition of the house is perfect.

So, Harry is at the courthouse yet again, filing charges for destruction of property, threatening phone calls, and whatever else the police suggest. He is also trying to find out what happened with the warrant for arrest that was outstanding before - but interestingly, the contract is in the wife's name and we have no clue what the husband's (who I have been calling the tenant) last name is. Therefore, we cannot assist the police in searching their records for a warrant. Wily fellow!

I imagine the tenant threatened the man in Chicago who supposedly didn't pay him and that man filed charges. Maybe my imagination is running wild with that idea, but if someone is willing to create the chaos he has so far, nothing would surprise me. I will have to keep you posted, because when the judge rules the family has to leave, they have 24 hours, period. That should be interesting.

The very sad thing is that the children are caught in the middle of a maelstrom with two very devious, "professional deadbeat" parents. And, at the suggestion of the sheriff, we need to hire an attorney to make sure that we get these people out. So, kiss more money goodbye. Harry's mistake, he should have done a background check. However, who thinks like that? Not us. What happened to a handshake and a deal's a deal?

Neighborhood

While riding around the neighborhood on my bike, I snap photos of things of interest. Here are a few of the neighbor's mailboxes. Not quite the same as the ones I used to see in my old Pepper Pike neighborhood. These probably wouldn't fit into the zoning restrictions there!