apartment under new ownership

i really like our apartment. it's a one bedroom on the main floor of a house built around the turn of the 20th century. it's got tall ceilings, big windows and the kitchen is the biggest room in the house. oh, and it's got a yard with a huge garden spot to the east where we've had a butt-kickin' garden for the last two summers.

a week before we had Ash our landlady - who for all intents and purposes was a great landlady - called to tell us she was selling the house. in the words of our sixty-year-old neighbor, Lee it was a "dirty deal." three weeks later i was sprawled out on the futon talking with my sister about the hardships of being a new mom when the new landlady came to look at the place. since then she has bought the house, moved into the upstairs apartment and we're in a month to month contract. yeah, you could say we got lucky. she could have given us thirty days.

but in some ways i kind of wish she had. i mean, she's nice and all but it's been really tough to have her take over. she's got all of these plans and projects for the place, which is typical and expected for a new home owner. but the crappy thing is some of these plans affect us in a negative way. for example, she wants to put lawn in over the garden spot. fortunately English put his foot down insisting we need a garden so she said we could have half. she's going to sod half this year and half next year. why not wait and do it all next year? good question. i have to admit we took a bit more than half - about four feet more - and that chaps her hide. i happen to know this because i saw her out our window complaining about it to someone she was showing the place to: "the garden was supposed to end at that post." hopefully she'll see how great the garden is and realize that four feet is not a big deal.

in the mean time we're trying to keep a good attitude while drawing very specific boundaries with her (she's asked a couple time to bring her family though - grand kids and all - to show them the place while Ash and i have been taking naps). however, i can't help but think that she's got us on a month to month in hopes that she'll drive us crazy and we'll move. well, we've got the garden planted so i hope that's not the case.


porch decor: our bird feeder and her mobile made from beer cans and golf balls. no, we're not on the same wave length.