It was a weekend free of termites. Not a single showing on
Saturday, not a single showing on Sunday and none today. This
was the weekend I was scheduled to be on meditation retreat, but had to cancel
because I couldn’t leave the unit and let the termites take over, THEN the
termites didn’t show.
Go figure.
No firm date on when the Control Company will come in and do its termite treatment but, inasmuch as the termites appear to have ceased swarming,
treatment will be sort of locking the barn door after the horse has been
stolen.
I still look forward to having the walls treated, however, as it
will ensure I won’t be pestered for a while ... hopefully.
Wouldn’t you know, starting on the new needlepoint project late
Friday night, the color needed to begin at the center point of the canvas was
that one color, out of 40, I’d failed to locate in all my many searches.
Thinking I’d have to work around the color, or use a substitute,
I managed to locate that hard-to-find floss at the last place I expected it
would be – the local Walmart, when I went in on Saturday to purchase a frame
for the canvas just completed.
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| Wind at His Back |
I’m going to gift this to the resident I refer to in the blog
as Apache.
He’s been so generous with me and others in the complex – always
giving, expecting nothing in return, and so wanted my last tapestry that he
even offered to buy it from me.
No amount of money could have plied Dream Dancer from my hands, not
just because it took me over a year to complete, but because it’s my favorite
to date.
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| Dream Dancer |
It only took me three months to complete Wind at His Back. I
like it … it’s okay, but I’ve no plans to display it. Apache will appreciate it
more than I, so it’s his.
Sunday was a productive day. Not only did I clean, mount and
frame that canvas, get started on the new needlepoint project, but I cooked and
froze lunches and dinners for days -- turkey loaf, crock-pot turkey chili, ginger
carrot soup.
While out today, I noticed the for-sale sign on the lot across
the street has been removed.
I’m assuming that means the property has been sold and we should
see some development in the near future.
It’s probably going to be a mini shopping mall.
Some
of the old folks are hoping for a fast food restaurant in it. Younger Sister is
hoping for a Dollar Tree. I’m hoping for a Starbucks, so I can just walk across
the street, instead of drive three miles.
On target to complete the Wind at His Back needlepoint project this
afternoon, I thought I’d head out to the craft store, before the termite swarm began
to swarm, for a Mounting Board and four floss colors the store had been out of
when last there, so I could start my new project right away.
Before heading out at 10:00, I first checked the patio widow
area for signs of termites. Seeing none, I figured I’d be good on termite watch
long enough to run other errands while out as well, like Sprouts, gas,
Starbucks.
Everywhere I went, there were lines -- prompting me to think to
myself “There are just too many people in
the world”. Also prompting me to skip the gas line, because the craft store
only had two of my colors, which meant it was on to the next craft store, miles
away, for the other two.
By the time I ran everything down, which included a futile trip
to yet a third craft store, for a last missing color, it was getting late and I
had begun to panic I’d been away from termite watch too long.
Borderline speeding down the freeway, fearful of what I’d find back
at the unit, I was relieved to arrive and find nothing.
Halleluiah!
There have been so few swarming last few days that I’m beginning
to think this thing has dragged on so long that swarm season is at an end.
As I went back down and began to unload the car, I was thinking
to myself, “What would you say if someone
asked for a recommendation as to whether this is a good place to live?”
I often do that – run whole scenarios in my head … just in case.
The answer I thought to give, when and if asked, was “Depends on what you’re willing to live
with.”
Interesting I had that thought because, once settled inside, I
researched a senior apartment I’d seen while I was out. It’s a fairly new
complex – I saw it go up a little over two years ago, near a huge shopping mall.
It’s a bit upscale, leases for more than I pay now because of location and
amenities, but is doable if I tighten up the budget.
After reading the reviews, upscale doesn’t sound like such a
good draw.
Review No. 1: “This place is a joke. They make tenants feel like they are
children (not all over 55 are senile) it's actually quite insulting! Management
is fake they present professionalism but lack it. #1 The "Assistant
Manager" Ugly is what I'll call her! She thinks she's something. She's
nothing typical lousy management that wishes she was something more. Not on top
of her paperwork or numbers putting notices on doors for HER/OFFICE mistakes. I
recall her saying she can't discuss my father's rental anything, but also
called ME when there was an issue regarding it? Strange but when she doesn't
want to discuss she can't?? Ridiculous. If I owned this building I'd definitely
get rid of her. She's a definite liability. They harass their tenants. I can
only imagine how they treat the elderly that are actually senile. I won't allow
my father to be disrupted over lousy management that thinks he's just some old
guy that lives there . REMEMBER YOU WORK FOR HIM. HE CAN LIVE ANYWHERE HE
WANTS. HIS RENT MONEY PAYS FOR YOUR PAYCHECK! DON'T GET IT TWISTED. START
TREATING YOUR TENANTS WITH CONSIDERATION. WITHOUT THEM YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB!”
Review No. 2: “Had to move out within a month after moving into due to a BED
BUG infestation without any help from the worthless management, deposit money,
moving cost twice, dry cleaning and my own washing everything I owned. They put
on a great show when you’re a possible new tenant but once move in they treat
you like you’re a child. This place needs new management and to inform its new
tenants of this infestation and what they’re doing to control it. I spoke with
other tenants prior to moving and they had no idea what was going on even after
seeing Hugh heaters being rolled in and out of various units. DON'T MOVE THERE
YOU WILL BE SORRY.”
Termites don’t sound so hideous now, and bad management in senior communities
seems to be an epidemic ... something that should be looked at and regulated.
One other item of note … as I was bringing up bottled water from
the car, I was approached by The Baker and asked if I recognized the woman with
her.
I did not.
The Baker then asked if the upstairs unit across from me had
been recently rented.
It had not – been vacant since December.
Did I see anyone moving into ANY upstairs unit in the last week.
I did not.
She was asking because the woman with her had just moved in a
week ago, and was wandering around because she couldn’t remember where her unit
was – only that it was upstairs. The Baker was taking her around
building-by-building trying to help her find where she lives.
Can you imagine?
The woman didn’t look that old, but she did look confused.
"Do you have anyone we can call?"
No.
"Do you have a car?"
Yes.
“Do you have anything in the car we can use to identify
your unit?”
No.
“Where is it parked, because it would be parked in the area
where you live?”
Never got a straight answer to that …. She just seemed more
confused.
No point calling the emergency management line for information so The Baker said she'd just continue taking her around until she recognized her unit or someone recognized her.
We look out for and take care of each other here -- whether we
know you or not. Poor management is what we’re willing to live with.
I feel fat and bloated from two days of Eat What You Want, plus
this morning’s Potluck Brunch.
As usual, there was a ton of food and, as usual, I only ate what
I brought (bacon wrapped tater tots) and what The Baker Cooked (Biscuits and
Gravy). So, in addition to two boiled eggs I brought for myself, I didn’t eat
very much. It’s just that feeling slow, sluggish, fat, bloated is a by-product
of eating off the clean-eating plan.
At any rate, tomorrow is a new day and I’ll be back to my normal
regimen.
Today turned out to be my lucky day. I don’t know what’s
happened but, all of a sudden, there’s a rush to get my unit free of termites.
Could it be that timeline I'd sent to the woman from Housing/Mediation Board had an effect? Could it be that, because this coming Tuesday is the next Residents/Management Meeting and someone important will be in attendance and Nurse Ratched doesn't want me to bring up the issue of termites again?
I don't know but, first, it was the appearance of Termite Control yesterday, followed
by Nurse Ratched cornering me this morning at the potluck saying, “Stop by my
office when you get a chance. There are a few options I’d like to go over with
you in resolving the termites.”
No way was I going to sit in her office and let her play
large-and-in-charge with me or, as she’s famous for doing, tell me one thing,
later say, “I didn’t say that.” So, in order to keep our communications on the
up-and-up, I said, “Why don’t you just email me the options.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
She didn’t.
Instead, she called me three hours later, “I just want you to
know they’ve (Corporate) approved the treatment. Someone will be coming next
week. I’ll let you know which day.”
Then, at 4:30, there was a knock on the door. It was our cute
Maintenance Supervisor and yet another guy from the Termite Control Company,
who wanted to have a look at the areas to be treated.
Duct tape in the bedroom is keeping the termites in that room at bay, but a
few were dropping in from the patio window.
This afternoon's Termite Control Guy appears to be the one coming in to do
the treatment and tells me, because there are so many units in this
building, it would displace too many seniors so, instead of tenting, it will be injection.
That sounded more like what he’d been told by management, as the
reason not to go to the expense of tenting, but I'm good with not inconveniencing others in this building.
Injection treatment is odorless – so I won’t have to leave, will
stop the swarms for two/three/four years but, according to this Termite Control
Guy, “Eventually, the building will have to be tented.”
I’m happy to have this temporary fix, but it’s a temporary fix I
myself brought to the attention of management when Nurse Ratched first sent
cute Maintenance Supervisor up.
Had she not been so pompous, so arrogant, so dense, this could
have all been resolved weeks ago.
At any rate, it looks like the end is near, insofar as the
current termite situation. A lot can happen in two/three/four years before they reappear … maybe
even one year, because I am keeping myself open to looking into other senior
communities.
I’m still working on yesterday’s Eat What You Want Day meal.
I did say one order of Chicken Pad Kee Mau would get me though
lunch, dinner, lunch the next day but, though I didn’t find much chicken in the
order (Thai Place is under new
management) the noodles and veggies were generous. So generous that, when
I went to finish the leftovers off as today’s lunch, there was enough for lunch
AND yet another dinner.
Since yesterday was an off clean-eating day, I stopped by the
market and picked up a pint of a new ice cream I’d seen in a magazine. An ice cream that had me at the word “shortbread” as an ingredient.
I do love shortbread cookies, but haven’t allowed myself that
indulgence for over two years, so ice cream with shortbread went on my bucket
list.
When not following the clean eating program, and indulging in
sugar, I’m a Ben and Jerry Cherry Garcia girl, but I gave this Haagen-Dazs
Vanilla, Tangerine and Shortbread ice cream a try and wasn’t disappointed.
There’s still a half pint to be finished off, so looks like my Eat What You
Want Day has been extended to two days.
It was bright sunny yesterday so, of course, the termites
showed up in the afternoon. There weren’t very many, about a half dozen or so
and, believe it or not, an actual termite control professional showed up this
morning, along about 11:00, accompanied by our cute new Maintenance Supervisor,
just as the termites were beginning to swarm.
Termite guy pronounced them dry-wood termites, and found a tiny hole
in a corner of the bedroom windowsill to be the entry point. No luck finding
patio window entry point, but did find signs they’re living in the wall along
that side.
One of the things I enjoy about this unit is its location. I’m
upstairs, in a fairly safe location, facing the sunlight, don’t feel all closed
in by other units, and the view can’t be beat.
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| View from Patio Window |
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| View from Bedroom Window |
It sounded rather metaphysical when Termite Control Guy said, “Everything
goes towards the light”. What he was telling me is, inasmuch
as termites are attracted to light, my unit being on the sunny side, I am the
lucky recipient of swarming season.
As to what’s going to be done, didn’t sound like tenting when he
said, “Our product takes 45 days after treatment.”
“Holy crap!” says I. “It’s already been 59 days.”
“Soon as I get a report written up and they (management) approve
it, we’ll come out and get started clearing it out. In the meantime, here’s
what you can do …”
This you won’t believe.
That’s duct tape you see.
Termite Control Guy instructed Cute Maintenance Supervisor to duct
tape the windowsill.
I thought it ridiculous, but lo and behold, the swarm ceased. They couldn't get through. However, I'm the world's worst skeptic and think they’ll just look for another way in, so I remain on termite watch.
Before leaving, Termite Control Guy asked, “Are you spraying
them?”
“Yes”.
“It’s making it difficult for me to see where to do the
treatment. So will you not spray them?”
“No. If I see ‘em, I’m killing ‘em”.
“I know you’re afraid of them. Some people are so afraid, they
throw their furniture away.”
“I’m not afraid of them. I’m annoyed by them and don’t want them
crawling around in my unit.”
End of that conversation.
Now that termite control has finally been here, will be
interesting to see how long Nurse Ratched drags out getting this taken care of.
Never heard of this day before, but sounds like a good idea to
me so, I’m in.
I’ll be indulging in Chicken Pad Kee Mau (pan fried wide noodles
with chili, sweet basil leaves, broccoli and bean sprouts) from Thai Place. One
order gets me though lunch, dinner, lunch the next day, so I won’t have to cook again until Friday.
After learning Friday’s Potluck is Brunch, if the coast looks
clear insofar as termites, it's decided I will be attending with my contribution of
bacon wrapped tater tots.
There have been no termites last few days … that’s a good thing.
Not trusting it, however, I remain on termite watch – never leaving the unit
for long periods of time, constantly checking the patio and bedroom to make
sure they’re not swarming.
Had I known I was going to be on termite watch this long, I’d
have invested in a Wi-Fi video camera and downloaded the app that lets you see
your home on your phone. They're on-sale right now, so I may do so anyway.
After Nurse Ratched three times advised of appointments with
termite control, and no one showing up, I get an email stating she’s set up an
appointment for tomorrow to “inspect and create a plan of attack”.
I’ll believe termite control actually showing up when I see them,
and the appointment “to inspect” sounds like more stalling and futzing around.
Tomorrow, Thursday, will be Day 59 of this nonsense. Are we ever
going to get around to actually doing something, other than trade emails, talk
about it, inspect it?
Up until now, I personally have had no direct contact with Nurse
Ratched. I saw early on what she was about when she came to the complex all
gangbusters – pompous, arrogant, rude, unfriendly, pushing residents and staff
around, causing what was once a waiting list of seniors clamoring to get in to
become vacancies up the wazoo. Consequently, I made a point not to give her an
opportunity to treat me with as much disdain as she treated others. If I had a
maintenance request, I’d go through one of the other girls in the office and
our excellent long-time maintenance man got it done.
Nurse Ratched just didn’t exist in my world.
When she and I passed each other in the office pathways and on
the property, she’d look down her nose at me. I’d pretend she wasn’t there.
In fact, other than that one time, in November of 2015, when she
was being fake in front of her kleptomaniac boss from Corporate, she’d never
even spoken to me in the four years she’d been managing the property.
Another good thing
Now that there’s just Nurse Ratched and the latest Assistant
Manager, there’s no way around direct contact; plus, she’s set up a system
which gives her complete control, requires everything filter through her.
So, this adventure with termites is actually the first time I’ve
dealt with her first-hand, and it’s given me an opportunity to focus on, study and
observe close up how she operates.
I find it’s not that she “won’t do anything about anything”, as
residents constantly complain. It’s that she doesn’t know HOW.
She can and does put on a great game face, and is a master at fast
talking, back tracking, talking in circles, to where, if you're gullible, she sounds knowledgeable, but behind that smoke screen is a dense and completely clueless woman.
A lot of what I’ve seen in the past now makes sense. For
instance, the way she’d made the previous office staff do her job for her.
She didn’t know HOW, so she’d bully the rotating others – the girls
assigned to leasing duties only, into doing her job as well. Sometimes we’d overhear
complaints, yelling even, that "I have my own job to do, I'm overloaded" and they needed her to do her own job; “rotating others” because
one-by-one the girls became fed up and quit.
The only reason Nurse Ratched is not dumping everything on this
latest Assistant Manager is because this one comes across as useless for
anything other than leasing. She always has a frightened deer-in-the-headlights
look about her, and is so afraid of displeasing Nurse Ratched that all anyone
can get out of her is that she'll ask Nurse Ratched about it.
In a quest for complete domination and control, Nurse Ratched forced
out our long-time knowledgeable maintenance man – who could have told her Day 1
how to handle this termite problem. In his place, she brought in -- promoted to
Maintenance Supervisor even, the fool who didn’t know the difference between
termites and wasps. He was so bad at the job that he actually frustrated her
incompetent behind to where she one day exclaimed to a complaining resident, “Where do I
get these maintenance men!” and promptly got rid of him. Now we have a young cutie, who is pretty to look at, but seems totally
lost and dependent on Nurse Ratched to tell him when to jump and how high.
Now that the termite situation has brought Nurse Ratched from
being invisible and outside, to visible and inside my world, I can see the lies, the threats, the
control tactics she’s visited on staff and residents is because she’s scared of
being found out. Living a lie, she’s trying to hide the fact she doesn’t know
HOW to deal with day-to-day management of this complex.
That doesn't excuse the lies, incompetence, abuse of authority but having spent my career in Corporate America, it's not like I've not seen it before. Sometimes these miscreants are found out and shipped off, mostly they're not and go on destroying lives and careers.
Nurse Ratched herself is well-aware she's a fraud, actually seems proud of being able to get away with it, telling one resident who'd challenged her, "I always win."
She's been careful to be polite with me, maybe because her instincts tell her I'm not some feeble old person she can push around or stall forever. However, if and when this termite thing is resolved, I fully plan to go back to her being invisible, not existing in my world.
Hope your day was one of being appreciated.
I myself chose not to be “honored” this year. It was “no thanks”
to breakfast, lunch, manicure/pedicure, because I just wasn’t feeling Mother’s
Day.
Back in September, something was said to me that opened my eyes
to how my life’s work has been so misunderstood, so unappreciated. I was very
surprised at what the speaker had to say to me about me, especially since she
herself had been no picnic to deal with. Yet I’d dealt with, supported,
swallowed whatever hurt and pain had been visited upon me in her no picnic stages, and
continued to pray for and support.
At the time the words were spoken, the individual was going
through relationship and work drama. So, thinking her anger at others was being
misplaced upon me, I let it go.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been snapped at, bombarded with
hurtful words, including the time I blogged about being yelled at on her
wedding day, and how it was that day, and other occasions, I felt constrained
in her presence – like my mouth had been duct taped, my arms tied, and I had to
be careful what I said, did, essentially walk on egg-shells.
Though she’d apologized about the wedding day beat down, I was hurt
to being on the verge of tears all that day. Not wanting to spoil her wedding
day, I held it all in and, planning to stay over, had instead loaded up the car
to head straight back home after, so I could let it out and cry in the car.
I continued being loving, supportive ... still.
It’s that thing again about my being slow to burn.
Now craving nothing more than a drama-free life, I guess it’s time
to cut that cord.
Looks like a lot of cord cutting going on right now.
At any rate, it took those September hurtful words rolling
around in my head to cause me to remember how difficult she herself had been/can
now be and realize, instead of being blamed, I should be getting a medal.
Spiritually speaking, I’ll continue to pray and uphold her – as
I do for all family members and others. Humanly speaking, however, I’m done … done with
swallowing, done with being misunderstood, done with being blamed … done with keeping
my mouth shut … done with walking on eggshells … done with people, places, things, situations, circumstances which require I not be who I am, done.
I got up this morning, turned off my cell phone to avoid any
“Happy Mother’s Day” calls, popped the in-home walking tape into the DVR –
which was so fast paced that I only managed a mile, and spent the remainder of
the day on that needlepoint project.
The Mother’s Day celebration here at the complex isn’t until
Friday.
Why so late? I do not know.
I enjoy getting together with the folks, whatever the occasion,
so I can ignore the theme; but I’m not sure I’ll be attending. Depends on 1)
How I feel when I get up Friday morning and 2) Whether I’m stuck in the unit
because the termites are swarming.
I didn’t sign up for a potluck dish so, if the termites are not
swarming and I decide to go, I’ll have to pick something up on the fly from the
deli.
Oh … though I'm not die hard superstitious, there’s a little thing about Friday being the 13th.
