Sunday Snippets 3.17.24
The end of my week sure turned out better than the beginning of my week.
My hot water is fixed. The hot water pipe from the hall to the kitchen has been diverted from under the floor to the ceiling.
The plumbers, two brothers and a son named Brandon, were very professional and respectful.
They took everything out of my pantry and inserted the plumbing. Then the son, Brandon, wiped all the dust off my food and put it back.
They cemented the two holes in my hallway and laid the carpet back down. It isn’t held down, but it’s down and I can walk down the hall.
My kitchen has two holes in the wall and up in the ceiling, as you can see in the photos. I don’t know who will fix that.
The plumber said he’d tell them about it. I’m kind of exhausted from dealing with management. At this point I just don’t want to have to deal with them.
Where The Leak Was:
Just like in 2022, the leak was once again in the kitchen. It wasn’t in the hall. But they thought it was. They used some sort of device that looked to me like a toilet plunger.
The head plumber put earphones on and went up and down my apartment with it. He said he could hear water and pinpointed where it became louder. But it sounded like it was near the hot water heater in the hall.
Thus the holes they jackhammered in my hall floor.
My kitchen vinyl flooring was raised a bit last weekend. You could walk on it and feel that it was elevated. The maintenance man said it couldn’t be water or it would squish under his feet.
Well, I don’t know, but it was raised up for some reason. And the wet spot in the hall the manager accused me of putting there is right next to the kitchen.
I offered to pay to clean the hall carpet myself just to get out of dealing with them over it. Or possibly getting charged for it by the manager.
The manager’s boss said no, they didn’t want me paying for anything.
It’s hard to believe that someone would accuse me of pouring water on the carpet in my own hallway. As I often use a walker to get up and down the hall, why would I want to steer it over water?
The residents are afraid to complain. They don’t want to rock the boat, fearing that if they moved that place might turn out to be even worse. So they try to keep a low profile and hope for the best.
Many are in an income bracket where they make too much for federal senior housing programs, and they are in short supply. Not only that, but to qualify you have to make a gross income of $25,000 or less.
ADA:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. Those born with a disability fall under these guidelines, as well as disabled seniors.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much federal housing assistance available for senior citizens or any other age group in the United States.
I talked to one older woman who had lived on the streets here for 6 years. All because she was waiting to get into Section 8 housing. There is a long waiting list.
Feeling Stuck:
So 55+ independent living, as this complex is, means that 80% of the residents are seniors.
I waited two years to get in here and I was on two other waiting lists for the other two complexes that are 55+.
At this point, if I had it to do over, I might not have moved at all. That complex was not a 55+ community, but many living there were seniors. I was paying about half of what I’m paying here. Before too long, I fear I will get priced out.
This is what we all fear. And then where do we go?
When I lived at my old apartment, I didn’t have anyone living above me. It was a one story building. I do miss my perennial garden. And I had Gracie. I don’t know why she died. But maybe she’d still be alive if I’d stayed there.
This has been what I’ve been thinking all week.
Yes, I like the people who live around me. There are perks to living here. But there’s no getting around whether a person can actually afford to live here. Every month someone is moving who has been priced out when they go to sign a new lease.
AI & Bloggers:
And then there’s the fact that IA (Artificial Intelligence) is hurting bloggers. It is hurting all content creators.
If I lost my blogging income, that would be half my income. And I could not afford to live here. Nor would I have the funds to qualify to live here.
Another Development:
I talked to the man upstairs who plays his TV so loud. He said that I snore so loudly that he can’t sleep. Can this be true? I don’t know. Maybe what he’s hearing is my sound machine tuned to rain?
Or maybe he’s making it up.
He was very difficult and I was discouraged about that situation.
I decided to try to befriend him to see if that would help. So I took a small unopened edible gift to him with a note. It was Catalina Crunch Protein Snacks.
I thought maybe might make him feel more kindly toward me and turn his TV down. But unfortunately that didn’t happen.
He said he’s not hard of hearing. That he’s a substitute teacher and can hear the kids just fine. Then why won’t he turn the TV down to a level so everyone is happy?
I don’t have an answer to why he behaves as he does. So life goes on. That too was disheartening. I’m a little depressed about all of these things that are currently going on.
Happier News:
I went to the Animal Aid thrift store yesterday and came home with three things. I’ll show you what I got soon.
I’m thinking about changing several of these items up with paint. And I might use rub-on transfers. I’ve never used rub-on transfers before, but I’ve always wanted to try it.
Have you used rub-on transfers on furniture or decor before? If so, I’d like to know what you thought of them.
What I’m Watching:
I’m deep into the fourth season of “Breaking Bad.” I don’t know what I’ll watch after the fifth season. I’ll have to see what is available.
What I’m Reading:
I’m currently reading “The New Home” by Chris Merritt.
You never know what’s happening behind closed doors…
Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbor Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine.
But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…
When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.
You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.
You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.
But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…
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Glad you have hot water once again. Awful that your ceiling is torn up like that. I hope they get contractors in there soon to fix it. Like someone said, it’s always something! No different for us home owners too, though we have to pay thousands to get things fixed. Last year alone, we had to shell out $4000 to have our yard torn up and french drains put in because our back yard was flooding.
Rent and housing prices have skyrocketed all over the US. Even here in our small town in IL, you can’t find a one bedroom apartment under $1000/mo. It’s ridiculous.
I’m glad my elderly mother owns a townhouse (which is paid for), but she still has to pay about $800/mo for HOA fees, taxes and insurance. She supplements her social security by selling on eBay. She thrifts for things like designer purses, wool blankets and designer clothes and then re-sells. She used to custom paint furniture too, but she’s been too ill and weak lately (Graves’ disease) to do that. There are no easy answers for seniors and living expenses, unless one is wealthy. 🙁
On a different note, I thought I’d let you know that the box at the bottom of your comment screen that you can check to save your name, email address and web site doesn’t work. This isn’t a new problem – it’s been this way for a long time.
Okay, I don’t know what to do to fix that. Let me look into it. Thanks for letting me know. I emailed my tech guy to see how to fix this.
Brenda, I am sorry that the management is not being very kind. Sadly that seems to be the way of things these days.
Thankfully the plumber and his son were respectful and kind and that they cleaned all of your stuff.
Rents are going up everywhere and nothing is being done about it. It is no wonder young people are living back at home. And as you said, older people are on the streets. Several of my neighbors and people in my neighborhood are well into their 80s’ and will not leave their homes because rent is too expensive.
I am praying for you to have smoother days ahead.
As for blogging, I am right there with you! AI and the Google updates are wreaking havoc on blogs, mine and yours. Hopefully soon we will see things settle back down.
HAve a great week.
We had a huge plumbing issue at our home a few years ago. They had to jackhammer up our floor from our bathroom all the way to our kitchen and replace pipes. We had just had a complete bathroom remodel which cost a lot. They had to tear it all out and I cried. I was so upset. We had a lot of tile and a mural in the back of the tub area. They had to tear half the kitchen out which we had planned on redoing but not at this time. Thank God we had a camper and my husband who was retired stayed in it with our cat during the day when I was at work. Our insurance company told us we could stay in a motel but they would only pay about half of it and meals also we ate out. We could not afford to do that so we made do. It took about 4 months to get the work done. It was a nightmare. Not only that we we had to pay about $25,000 out of our pocket because our insurance company would not pay it all because of it being a water leak. We had a top rated company but this is a rule for all of them we found out. We paid about half the bill. What was so bad this was not long before I retired and this money came out of savings. Also we ended up having to sell or camper which we had hoped to use when I retired, I know what you went through. I thought I would lose my mind having to deal with all this and then have to go to a stressful job but I made it so now you can try to relax and you are right Brenda it is always something.
When we reach our age, and need rest, quiet and peace, it seems there are many conspiring to take it from us…do we LOOK too happy maybe?? It is good to hear that those workmen fixed the problem and were nice to you too!! We all are worried here too…they upped our rent by $120 more a month and neighbor man who always knows things told me this week that next year they are going up to $150 more. So I plan to keep looking…maybe we should buy a small place…2 renters here found some with lower payments than they apts. We rent in part because I have my hands full taking care of Hubby and just plain do not want to have to spend even more time working outside, or a single other chore. Life is hard…and living in this time when older folks are mostly forgotten is even harder.
Brenda, I know it’s easy to say but don’t let the managers words get to you. She obviously does not know what she is talking about and her opinion does not matter one iota. Communicate with her via letter or email but you are paying greatly for a service so do not hesitate to ask for service. Let her put her idiotic remarks in writing.
Wishing everyone a great week ahead!
Whew – what a week!!! Not totally behind you but very close. Don’t fret about the young whipper snapper manager. She’s got a little power and it’s gone to her head. You focus on your life and let the world go by.
I am very sorry that it was a very difficult week. Ugh!!
This, too, shall pass. Enjoy today!
Impossible to post a response with all of the flashing pop up ads! One of them ( for Nicorette) keeps covering the response box and then kicking me off your site!!! I’ll try again later!
Looks like your response complaining that you couldn’t respond, posted just fine.
Yes but if I try to write more than that, the ads block it and I get kicked out. Right now the flashing ads are all over the screen. Brenda makes income off of her blog and if people can’t read it or find it too troublesome to respond, that’s an issue worth “complaining” about. I’m sure I’m not the only person getting the “error- reloading” alert on her blog.
Ginny, is there a chance that you might have some sort of adware? It is a type of malware that can be installed without your knowledge through free software or downloads from untrustworthy websites. The same happened to our computer years ago. I was able to get rid of it, but it took some how-to research & work on my part.
Thank you. It’s only happening on this blog Right now I have ads popping up top bottom and sides! Lactaid , Prilosec, aveeno and enterprise. Don’t have the issue on any other blogs. 🤷🏽♀️
I’m sorry. I’ll talk to the ad people.
I have to enroll every time I sign in to your blog.
Brenda, it’s so easy to think, oh, if I’d done that then this would have happened. We all do it. But remember that old apartment? My recollection is there were trees growing in apartments and there was a problem with snakes that you were worried about and other things that were difficult. You couldn’t live there anymore and we were so relieved when you got out of there.
I read a great book called The Midnight Library. It’s fiction and an easy read but it’s about thinking that “oh, if I’d just done that then my life would have ended up better.” Not so. You may enjoy the book.
I’ve read that book.
I thought of this book too. Also, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. An accidental time traveler is determined to prevent the Kennedy assassination and change history.
Hi Brenda – Don’t second guess yourself. There’s no way to know what would have happened if you had stayed in your previous place. I’m glad you have hot water again. I hope this week is better for you.
I’m pretty sure it will be. Unless the manager isn’t done retaliating against me.
Well, at least you got your hot water back and in the future if there are any leaks in the new water line (which I assume is some kind of pliable plastic and not metal) they will be easy to get to in the ceiling, not having to jack-hammer up concrete floors! It is not your responsibility to hire a drywall contractor to come in and put up new drywall, add texture and paint the ceiling where the new water pipe has been routed, that is the complex management’s job. Does Tulsa have a taxpayer funded program or an organization that offers free senior advocates who will go to bat for seniors? I know you find it uncomfortable and exhausting, frankly, to deal with situations like this. Maybe bake a batch of cookies and go visit the manager in person with some prettily wrapped cookies in a box for her or, if you can get her to come to your apartment, show her the openings made by the plumbers and ask when the drywallers are going to come to close up the opening in the ceiling (and your pantry) where the new water pipe was run – she what she says, and smile, smile, smile. There’s more than one way to catch a fish.
I doubt I’ll ever be talking to her again. I’ll have things done myself before I do that.
So glad it is fixed…so very stressful…so hard to get good and kind help these days…We only needed a new handle and flapper in our toilet…they told me I needed to buy a new toilet from them cause ours was most likely cheap…my daughter replaced both parts for a under 20 dollars…they told me they could not fix it…I let them know when I paid our bill for digging up a plugged pipe outside that she fixed it…they try to get you…so disheartening…have a better week💕🍀
Surely I’ll begin to relax after awhile.
I used rub-on transfers years ago when my boys were small and I wanted to decorate the furniture in their rooms. It was easy and fun to do and looked great. I should look at them again and see what is available now.
Glad you got your plumbing issue fixed. But sorry to hear you’re having so much difficulty dealing with management. Seems now there is always something we have to deal with that is unpleasant. Guess that’s just life at this point. Do hope things calm down for you and you can get out to enjoy your little garden soon.
Love the picture of Ivy in the chair at the very top of your blog!
As someone one said: It’s always something.