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"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
- Unknown

"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger."
- Handed down through the ages.

"Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid."
- John Wayne



So . . .

So . . . I am wondering, this past week or so, if HoHo (Hollyhock Hollow) instead stands for "Ho, ho!  The joke's on you!"

Things are not going well.  Everything on the We'll Fix It Before You Move In list was finally supposed to be done this past Sunday.  The owner told me to go check things out at the beginning of the week.  I did so on Monday night.  Only the drain assembly in the bathroom sink had been completed.  NOTHING else.  Oddly enough*, the musty odor was a bit better, so I figured that the dehumidifier must have been plugged in and doing its job.  *Here comes the "oddly enough" part:  a trip down into the basement showed that the machine was still not freed from its packing tape.  So, I think the reduction in smell must have been due to the drop in atmospheric humidity.

Instead of getting back to the owner (I was just SO frustrated and EXHAUSTED!), I contacted the care-taker instead.  At best, there was a miscommunication between them and the to-do list and its deadlines.  At worst, the owner had given the caretaker instructions to do nothing in the hopes that I would cut-and-run.

The caretaker said that he's just been SO busy and is trying to fit finishing the house into his few off hours.  He'll have things finished this week.

Uh-huh.

So, I didn't have much contact with the owner following the info from the caretaker this week.  Just thought I'd wait it out a few more days . . . but also began SERIOUSLY stressing thinking about Plan B or G or whatever we're at now.  And feeling like I'm really being taken for a fool and the owners want to rent to someone who DOESN'T have the "high" standards of basic cleanliness and utility.

But now, this morning, I have two unsolicited e-mails from both the caretaker and owner.  The caretaker says "I hope to be done by end of the day Saturday with [the owner's] final to do list."  But, he hasn't said "WILL be done", has he?!  The owner writes, "Plumbing work is done, water is on and fine. Last of list is coming along. When he calls me to confirm that all is ready, I will let you know so you can go over and have a look. I expect this would be on Saturday or Sunday."  How-ev-errrrr . . . when I was there on Monday, the hideous hardware in the tub (which the owner promised to have replaced) was not replaced, nor the job even started.  And, I really don't think that COULD be completed by last night's e-mail saying "plumbing work is done".  So, what I think I'm going to do is go through all the previous e-mails, detailing - again! - each of the things the owner said WOULD be fixed / finished / done and ask for confirmation of same.  If there is not an agreement by the end of this week, I think I *do* need to cut and run.  Which is extremely stressful.

But, I think I'll ALSO post the Rental Needed ad I've been drafting . . . today!  And see if I get any immediate hits.  The owner (via the caretaker) may very well catch wind of this, but she'll also be aware that I N-E-E-D to begin moving things!!!

It's amazing how quickly the exhaustion begins to envelope me again as plans change from concrete to floating somewhat tenuously to drifting away. 

And, I have got SO much computer/business work to do . . . that I think I'll make headway on each evening . . . but am so exhausted by the time I get home (and the nights so quickly dark these days) that I simply fall into bed, too tired to fire up the big computer and slip into my web/graphic designer skin.  And that's not even to MENTION the photography business which is actually the ONLY ONE I want to focus on!! 

Then, there's that 45-hour/week gig ('cause we should really count the entirety of the 9:00 - 6:00 day that includes my one-hour lunch) that keeps my financial head above water (barely) that's particularly sucked rotten eggs this week. 

I'm just soooo tired . . . of everything.  But, on the up side, the weather's been GRAND lately!  :)

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like maybe the change in the musty smell could be do to the caretaker showing up and opening a window while he was there, doesn't sound like he has done much else ...... hope things work out for you, I know it has been a very long frustrating process .........

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  2. Obviously, you are getting a very loud message. Move on. You deserve much, much better. And it IS out there for you. You can always plant hollyhocks somewhere else!-"M"

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  3. This is really crazy, don't you have landlord/tenant laws up there? A signed lease? As a landlord, that would never fly here, if the A/C or any major items break I need to have them fixed within 24 hours or I have to put up my tenants in a hotel! I think the rental needed ad is just what you need, and maybe put in on Craigslist in the Twin Cities, since with winter coming and no tenants in vacation properties any owners of 4 season properties would be glad to have someone in there to keep an eye on things and it may have never occurred to them to rent in the winter. Good luck!

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  4. GOOD IDEA Erin,I WILL ,I WILL

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