Apartment Smoke and Mirrors

July 22
Well, today I got "the letter" to post to the tenants, basically saying "pick up your trash, leash your dog, and pick up your crap", padded with "we want the place to look pretty and we'll be making improvements". We'll see how persuasive it is...

July 30
I started the beginning of this post before we went camping with Pat and Dan and our tent and their RV. I had to stop short so we could get ready, but rather than scrap that post, I'd like to continue on with it now. Camping was great, and so was my week teaching four and five-year-olds at nature camp this week. More on that later. In our business, I have not been picking up everyone else's garbage, because family comes first, then work, then the ghetto. I'll just say that the letter mentioned earlier has had minimum impact. Some, but minimal. From both sides. People should be evicted, repairs should be done, people should be responsible. But I know that my next trash cleanup will take a loooong time, and the lobby cleanups will be an obstacle course, and the cops will probably be called, sooner or later, for a drunkfest or some random neighbor(s) peeing somewhere other than in their home. We're pretty done. Done enough to think about a plan B.Like when do we decide to not worry about our next location and decide to make our farm here. I really, really want Shelby to get her manager position soon. She deserves it and it will be a catalyst for everything else. But, if it takes too long and we just can't deal with "here" anymore, and we have the money to do something about it, and I get a job in the area that we want to be...I'm just sayin'. In the meantime: cleaning, sorting, trips to Goodwill, trips to storage, prettifying the neighborhood, and supporting our dreams, egos, and sanity the best that we can. We remain optimistic, regardless of the current state of suckness, and we do so with a smile on our faces!  :S