Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Things That Mary Left

I was assessing the things Mary left behind.
She still has to come for those storage units and the dresser, but it's the rest of the stuff that is intriguing.
Note that Mary was in here, looking at everything, and chose to leave the items.
1. A weaved basket type thing with a blanket in it that Comet, my lil' Rat Terrier loves to sleep in.
2. A dust pan with a long handle on it - like you might see a janitor using to sweep up debris off the floor.
3. Broom
4. A hefty amount of silverware. She declared she was just leaving it for me. The police were standing right there when she said it - I wanted her to take all of her stuff so that there would be no room for - whatever she might start - be she just left it. Lots of spoons, knives, forks and also cutting tools.
5. Several bowls and cups.
6. A Spider plant.
7. A collander - I was going to go buy one when she left, but - she left it in there. It was in the same place as the rest of her kitchen stuff was, so I guess she left it in there for "my" use?
8. Fake flowers. My mother gave me a nice little outdoorsy type of teapot - something you would plant a flower or plant in - a long time ago. One of the few remnants from the fire now almost 2 years ago. Mary had put fake flowers in it - she left the flowers but took the table the flowers were sitting, lol.
9. Over 60 holes in her room's walls. I know that sounds weird to say she "left them behind", but really, that is exactly what she did. As I said before, a few small holes for nails or screws is one thing, this situation is outrageous. Whatever Mary left behind, it most certainly does not equal the amount of money it will cost to have someone come over and fill all of that. And because there is so much of it, I have to believe the only way the wall is going to look right is to retexture it. I can fill the holes with putty or spackling I guess it is, but - it will still look gawdy because all those blank spots will be left without texturing.

I do not have a mud sprayer or an air compressor to spray it with. I have no intention on buying a setup like that, either. The only way I would ever consider doing that is if I had several rental properties. Then one would be prudent to have such machinery in their possession because it would be imminent that a wall would have to be repaired at some point or another. I do believe they sell some sort of texturing that comes in a spray can, however. I dunno, I just don't think it right for her to do all that damage to those walls and not receive the compensation from her that is necessary to have them fixed. OTOH, taking her to court yet AGAIN would be another pain in the butt. And then, I would probably have to garnish her wages to get that money, which would be even more legwork and money out of my pocket. I'm sure that it will cost hundreds of dollars even just using a handyman off of CL to come over and do the job.

Dunno. I'll have to sit on that one for a while - if I had to go that far to get compensation for negligent damages, I would also go after her for unpaid rent.

Dunno, but that 401k loan money is starting to look more and more appealing. Get that stuff fixed, and then dump the money into a savings account and let it sit there until this economic crisis is over. I continue to have this same thought, over and over: what if the AC breaks down? I don't have the money to fix it and the "bumper-to-bumper" warranty has expired. Sure, the compressor is covered for 5 years, but there are a LOT of other things that can go wrong with an AC unit. I wouldn't have the money to fix it and - I would have one heckuva BAD situation sitting here. If just about anything else broke - I could replace it and not have too huge a financial disaster going. Well, take that back, anything right now would be teetotalling on the brink of economic disaster. A refrigerator goes out/washer-dryer/water-heater. I also have this pervading thought of what if the car breaks down?

Dunno, but as it stands right now, I could pay the loan off over the phone, have to wait a couple of days for it to clear and then be open for another loan. It would be about a week before the check actually arrived. Yes, I tend to think things out - the what-ifs, the Murphy's laws, the things that go wrong in life that you have absolutely no control over. A week without any of those things listed would be - a nightmare. Certainly the AC. Plan? Right now - pay it off next paycheck. That's this coming Friday. I will only owe like $50 after they deduct the next amount off. Then, if something happens, at least the first step - which is a bridge that would take a while to cross - would already be done. Don't take out a loan - yet - just have it available. Takes 2 days to have that check sitting at your doorstep.

Okay, standing down. That's my plan as I just came up with it and I'm going to pursue it. One thing's for sure, I'm definitely missing that third tenant payment. I'm hopeful that this person will show up today, that no red flags are raised, and that I can get the room occupied, even if at a reduced rate. I'm not going to ask for the full rate with the walls like that.

Oh heck, I guess I should just go out and buy a bunch of spackling - like a gallon bucket, get in there and at least fill in the holes. Ummm, take pics of all of it first.......ummmm.........okay. Sounds like a plan. If the person wants the room, I can have Caleb and Michael take those 3 remaining pieces of furniture out of there, stuff it into the storage shed and it will be ready to go.

????????
Don't ask - I just got to thinking about all of this and logic started kicking in, I think it's logic, anyway.
ben

4 comments:

Dorrie said...

you can get a tube of filler... it doesn't cost much... then just fill in the holes with it. I had holes in my walls where I moved some cabinets and it's no big deal, even I can do it! lol Then just paint the walls. Over here we'd wallpaper them. You can even get textured wallpaper.... also no big deal. Better then messing with her anymore, for sure.

BenB said...

Thanks for the input.
I know it's not a big deal to fill in the holes, the problem is that there are so many of them, I'm pretty sure it's not going to look right even after painting over it. Too many of them - it will stick out unless I can find a way to also apply some texturing over it.
Dunno, but I'm going to Home Depot to see what I can find.
ben

becomingkate said...

Good luck with the holes! Did she pay much of a damage deposit?

springbaby said...

When I'm in a bind for something to fill a hole, I use toothpaste....the regular paste/not gel...works like a charm. They also sell some texturing tools at HD that will work. If the holes are small enough, you shouldn't be able to see the fill. Good luck!

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