Another unlucky monday story -

[lazarus]

Though not as bad as some others -
but it's still enough to need to vent over -
So Friday, we learn from the management company that the owners of the older house we are on a yearly lease for are coming into town and want to check out the place tomorrow- after all, they are planning to retire here in a few years (just hopefully after the 15 year old finishes school and leaves the house so we could legitimately move into a smaller place).
As usu sal, the teen manages to find ways to get out of helping the cleaning, pick-up and minor repairs that need to be done - and worse yet, she manages to find ways to keep "her needs" as center of attention when disabled DH and I are trying to get the place into a respectable state (just don't look in the garage and the bedrooms (Did I mention her mom not only screwed her up emotionally, she's seriously bipolar to boot?).
There's nothing to do about the doorframe she's cracked because of her tantrums, nor the peeling paint (poor paint job by the management company), the dead grass in the front (the previous tenet, a relative of the owner, tried to get in good with them by putting in sod over untilled, unmulched decomposed granite soil - with predictable results)nor the stains in the very industrial carpet they put in to protect the hardwood floors, but hey, we've lived here for over 2 1/2 years so far, so other than the doorframe and the holes in the kidlet's bedroom she has covered with posters, we're doing pretty good as tenets right? We should be able to finish up the cleaning by this evening as work has been easy and I've been getting home early, then we'll be ready to go. Stressful as hell, but we can at least put a decent show on for them.

Enter - the dog. She's a bit on the elderly side (just turned 12) very protective of the house, and hates the original 1940's mail slot by an equally ancient "rolled glass" panel (similar to plexiglass used on shower stalls) by the side of the front door; as soon as she hears the slot "bang", she charges the door. Usually, I anticipate the mailman (I can usually see the truck from up the street either from where I work at home or I'll see him when I'm coming home) and let the dog out in the backyard so she won't jump the door.

So, things start breaking down this morning - work gets crazy and not only can't I can't get off until until late afternoon (after a late night of cleanup and the usual "Oh-my-ghods-dark-30 early morning wakeup commute to work beginning at 0630), I can't even stop to tack a break and a bite to eat.
In the meantime, the kidlet conns her dad into letting her have one of her oldest friends come over to "help her clean" - and since that friend is one of her few actually responsible friends, I suspect she was invited so that the friend would clean and the kidlet could sit down and go through the motions. There's still about five hours of cleaning to do. but picking up the friend from the trolley is justified with So, around the time the mailman usually comes by, I'm on the road to pick the friend up from the trolley station (nearest bus is over a mile and a half away) and Hubby is cleaning the bathroom so as to impress the owners with our care of their original vintage bathroom fixtures.

So, the mailman comes by, rattles the mail slot. Shari charges the door - and runs her head through the bottom of the side glass panel. The mailman was apparently more worried about her being hurt than her charging him. However, I don't think we're going to get mail delivered "at home" again any time soon - there are regulations about "vicious dogs".

Arrggghhhh! Why today? The owners are coming over tomorrow morning, and I can't quickly mock up something that won't be so obvious there's a hole. I've got all the pieces (only a few pretty good sized chunks - make it easy to puzzle together), taped with clear packing tape with a piece of plexi-glass taped from the inside (to thwart the curious cats from escape). And an outdoor decorative potted plant in front of the panel so it's not so obvious from the outside.
I called the manager. The story is - I broke in when I inadvertently slung my laptop case into it while dropping the case behind the couch by the door. Plausible, as we are talking about a very small area.
If we tell them it was the dog, chances are, we'll have to get rid of her if we don't want to break the lease. (And yes, they can do this if an animal that was previously approved is found to be a "nuisance" or a danger to the property...)

She's not hurt, but ghods in heaven - I just want to scream. Between cleaning, the minor repairs, work, a stubborn 15 going on 3-year old who just threw another tantrum in front of her friend (after all, why should she pick up all her candy wrappers around her chair in the frontroom?), the owners coming over tomorrow, making sure (from work) hubby is able to get up and see them through the inspection - and now this. We're liable, no matter how this happened.

How much will this cost? The glass is held in by glaze and molding on a frame, but it's all original 1948 semi-industrial. Not easy to get. And of course, we are living paycheck to paycheck with over $800 a month in medical bills; there's no money for repairs to the car, much less the house. If they raise our rent, we're to the point of giving utilities and winter clothes. We're already cutting back the food bill as much to the bone as we can and still remain halfway healthy, and as for entertainment - what is that?

Just need some good lounge vibes for the inspection, and for our ability to bring these people's home back into reasonably acceptable shape for a rental. After all, they aren't "slum lords" with investment property, it's more like we're house-sitting for them until the retire and move back in...


Haele
(apparently posting under the husband's account - I forgot he logged on earlier. Oh well)

[Heidi]

1. Oh, dear.

Haele, I have absolutely no wisdom to offer, but I'll light a candle for you and send you some good vibes. I hope you can get some rest tonight and that things fall into place for you. So sorry you're going through this. :hug:

[mzteris]

2. I can't offer any advice

but I can offer up the good vibes and some :hug:

Sounds like your plate is very full from day-to-day any and the added stress would be enough to send anyone over the edge.

You do what you can do - and that's all you can do.

BTW - is your daughter being treated for her bi-polar?

edit typo

[BlueIris]

3. Yeah, that seems...important.

I couldn't quite tell from your post—is it the daughter who is bi-polar or her mother?

[mzteris]

4. i think it was the daughter n/t

[haele]

5. Weirdly Good (?)update - and a request for continuing good lounge vibes!

Obviously, they work!
Well, Tuesday comes along. The weather is changing, so DH is having a bad physical day and is in great pain, but decent enough spirits. The owners come by to inspect the place and immediately take pity on him, very understanding about the cracked glass in the door panel ("Accidents happen, and since you offered to fix it before we asked, no problem...") The manager will do the work and charge us cost and materials, so it will actually be cheaper in the long run. The owners are also aware of a federal program that will provide all sorts of tax breaks, tax credits, and rebates to "upgrade" the rental property because of an officially disabled tenant - and want to replace all the old sash windows with nice new double-paned vinyl sash windows and fix some of the plumbing at apparently 1/4 of the price they would normally pay to renovate the house themselves, so they want to keep us in the house until they can get all the upgrades done that can be done under the program. (Hey, is a solar energy upgrade included?). All they need are the statements from his SSDI benefits, and we can expect to stay on the lease for another two or three years. So, whew - I feel a bit better about this.

Meanwhile at work, I have been "recruited" to a full time position on another contract within the government division our company has multiple contracts with - just an program manager assistant position at an engineering department - something I can almost do in my sleep. Surprisingly enough, since it's considered a critical "behind the scenes" support for a government official, the contractor seat usually holds at least a Bachelor's degree, or equivalent in experience (which I have). Should I be accepted as a full-time replacement, I would be changing company managers to one who came from back east and likes to think of pay as "base company pay + location cost of living" - which also means not only full coverage for another couple years, but a possible $20K a year pay increase, even without the degree. They'll be making the decision over the next few weeks...

I'm asking for good lounge vibes - for the kidlet to keep on her meds and therapy and start helping around the house so I can concentrate more on work at work than be worried about what is going on at home, for DH to be able to coordinate the repairs around the house with the managers, and for the new position to come through - with some sort of pay increase!

Thanks, and may everyone who wishes us well, get the vibes returned to them threefold.

HAele