Endings

Shortly after yesterday’s Residents/Management meeting, the Baker sent out a group text making it official …… "I will not be doing bingo or any other activity up at the clubhouse. I love all of you very much and I will still be around outside of that clubhouse. But I will not tolerate being talked to like that and not even given a chance to calmly talk to them about things that we need to have a comfortable life. The next bingo is on October 3, if anybody decides they would like to continue bingo all the bingo things are in my garage. Please forgive me, but I have to stand up for myself".

The "being talked to like that" refers to Assistant Manager cutting her off in the meeting with a firm, "No. The refrigerator stays locked", like case closed, and no way is anyone else going to take on the responsibility of carrying on with bingo, so that’s dead.

Not just bingo is ending but, because the Baker sphere headed all the other activities us residents have enjoyed, it’s also the end of the BBQs, Halloween Party, Christmas Party, and all the other parties us residents have thrown for ourselves.

I had planned to be a skeleton for Halloween, but looks like I can donate that costume, and my many other costumes, to the Salvation Army Store.

All that’s left for us are the three events management squeezes into the budget — End of Summer Party, Thanksgiving and Christmas Parties.

No bingo and no other parties is going to make my life a little easier insofar as flyers and posting photos to the Residents’ FB page. There will be nothing to post, so the FB page is dead as well, but I’ll let it lie dormant so folks can enjoy seeing photos of what fun we used to have.

Just before the Baker sent out her missive, Crafty Lady included me in a group message, "Hey friends, Arts and Crafts tomorrow 11:00 in the clubhouse".

I don’t really know how group messages work, like are there names so the sender knows who they are messaging or is it just telephone numbers?

If it’s a list of telephone numbers, Crafty Lady might not know she’s including me, but with the Baker refusing to step inside the Community room ever again, I guess it really doesn’t matter as the bell seems to be tolling for Craft Day as well?

Later, Crafty Lady herself replied to the Baker’s resignation letter that, "Tomorrow we will do arts and crafts there, but I’m going to figure out a way to do it away from there".

In solidarity for the Baker, I don’t see any of us wanting to congregate in that room any time soon.

It won’t have an impact on Management, but it will make us feel better — a protest of sort.

There’s a seating area outside the Laundry Room where the Usual Suspects like to gather — it’s the equivalent of the old water cooler where folks gathered, chatted. I expect that’s where I’ll run into the Baker and others, instead of in the Community Room on Tuesdays.

Speaking of Tuesdays, with first no pizzas, and now Crafts moved to Monday/Wednesday or gone altogether, I don’t see a need for Kesha.

Those that attended the meeting are holding her partially responsible for the Baker quitting, because Assistant Manager said one of the reasons she won’t unlock the refrigerator is because Kesha keeps a lot of her supplies in there, Kesha has a key.

What supplies would that be? We’re not getting served anything, so is it just her lunch along with management’s lunches?

At any rate, no one is going to show up on Tuesdays to support Kesha, not even me.

Sorry, girl. You got caught in the crossfire.

As for today’s Craft session, scheduled for 11 o’clock, I assumed no one was going to show up but, on the off chance some did, heading out to run errands, I detoured through the room, found it empty.

In other news, Next Door Neighbor knocked on the door late yesterday and had me 🤣.

Leaning on the rail, clutching her heart in a pose that registered having experienced something that knocked the wind out, she accused me of "scaring her half to death".

Upon opening her door, the skull I placed in the corner caught her eye, resulted in a fear flight reaction.

Seriously, LOL.

She said it was "What the hell is that" and an immediate fright reaction.

Instead of apologizing, my legs got weak from laughing and I had to step outside lean on the rail for support right along with her.

Even now, I’ve can’t stop laughing as I try to paint the picture for you, have tears in my eyes, nose running.

I have a sick sense of humor … don’t like to be scared but laugh my butt off at seeing others get scared.

True story — the oldest of what was four brothers, one sister (all deceased now), I once convinced them that I was a werewolf, changed when the moon was full. I’d lock myself in the bathroom so as not to harm them, or so I told them, then I’d make growling sounds, while they stood outside the door both fearful and worried about me.

Bringing it up now, I realize what an awful traumatizing thing that was to do.

Once, I had mom’s fuzzy fake fur coat wrapped around my arm, stuck that furry arm out the door as I made growling sounds. Next thing I know, all five were out the front door, running down the street.

I kid you not, even into adulthood, my sister Brenda would swear to folks that she actually saw me turn into a werewolf.

NDN doesn’t know, but I have considered setting up a spooky door cover for years, but didn't because I thought she might open her door and it would scare her. It never occurred to me, but should have, that the skull might be just as bad — scare her and maybe delivery people. I should have knocked on her door, warned her it was there.

As for the delivery people, I’m sure they’ve seen worse.

Not so funny is Next Door Neighbor saying she’s looking to move.

Oh, great, more changes.

Her plan is to move before December out of necessity …… She’s having a serious operation in December that will make it impossible for her to climb stairs after she returns from nursing care.

She’s talking to the office about relocating to a downstairs unit here and, if they can’t accommodate, she says she has no choice but to look elsewhere for a downstairs unit.

I’ll be sorry to lose her as a neighbor and can only hope that whoever replaces her is clean, loves to decorate for Halloween and Christmas.