This leads me to reflect on my old landlady vs. my new one. My old landlady had the guest house ready to go way before I moved in. She took care of what she said she would, such as buying a wardrobe and removing the refrigerator. She even made me a deck and when I asked if it was ok if I put a path in she put the path in for me. She let me move in in the last week of the month and didn't charge me for that week. She gave me generous cash presents and nice cards at holidays... Two people speculated if I lived there long enough she might "leave me the house." And the ultimate in "nice landladies"- she gave me back my entire deposit before I even moved out. I am really going to miss her, and not only because she was so generous. She is a nice lady who cares about me.
My new landlady doesn't have the place ready. As is normal, I paid for the few days at the end of the month when I am moving in. She charged a large deposit plus a pet deposit. She is making me keep the old refrigerator in the shed. And it has old spilled food it in. Gross. She seems a bit harried.
Many people have said "I don't know why you are moving." Sometimes I question my decision. But I talk to myself in the first person, not the third. "I don't know why I am moving." If I used the third person it would be as if I had multiple personalities and that is probably a good way to get thrown out of the military. Then I would be out of a job and I would have to move again- to a cheaper place. Maybe I'd get on the gravy train. "Hi Mom!"
When I do question my decision, I remember that the dogs will be happy playing fetch in the yard, and I will be happy with the dishwasher and garbage disposal and bathtub and close parking. In high school someone told me they were switching schools because the ROTC room at the other school had a coffeepot. That person chose a coffeepot over me. (I'm guessing that person didn't see it that way, but hey- it makes for a dramtic blog entry.) I am choosing the yard and the dishwasher and the garbage disposal and the bathtub and the close parking over my nice landlady. Maybe I'm no better than that high school person, but at least I'm getting more amenities out of the deal.
My old landlady is so wonderful it is almost enough to keep me living there forever. Almost. After viewing the new place the first time, I had to decide... stay in the guest house with the wonderful landlady or move to a new place with a normal landlady. I chose the later, and I hope I made the right decision. If I made the wrong decision, I won't know until it is too late. Plus, as I told at least one of the people who speculated about my saintly landlady leaving me her house (and I suppose the guest house too) upon her death- that is not an appropriate reason to stay living someplace. Betting on the owner's death and subsequent bequeathal of the property to the renter. That only happens in novels. Kind of like only in novels do horse ranch owners give $40,000 retired dressage horses to teen age girls...
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