Best/Worse/What did I learn today? Chat with friends new/old

I just made 5 dozen peanut butter ones from a Paula Deen recipe .. pretty easy, but, the dogs haven't had one yet ..
The other recipe has CHEESE in it, and, they L O V E the biscuits .. I see I got it from a website, will send them along .. the one recipe made 9 dozen !
Remy is the name of my nephews dog :-) He's a Sharpei (sp)

Once this last batch comes out of the oven, I'll put the other in and hit the shower ..

BBL

~M~

I don't have a picture of Remy, but I will take one to share here. He's a cutie.

This is my nephews 'REMY' .. named after the Remington firearms company .. his Remy is a hunting dog .. but, as sweet as they come :-)

DGS named his GSD Kimber, I guess it's a firearms company also.


This message was edited Aug 4, 2015 1:33 PM

Afternoon all,

Happy Birthday Sharon, hope it is a sunshine day for you and you get spoilt..how is Vern doing?

Drats "M" Gord just starts to feel better and doesn't something else come his way..now if I had a pouch think I'd start making biscuits, they sound delicious..how is Lorena's dad?

Susan, nearing another step towards feeling at home and enjoying, is Bob having a bit of time to have time for himself and relax?

Barb, how wonderful you have almost all your gifts made, just think come Christmas you can put your feet up and enjoy the festivities rather than fret over getting out shopping in cold weather. Smiling to myself, bet you've a lot more fBric to get creative with lol

Deb, what did you find when you got home last night, everything ok?

Debbie, how is that new camera working..did you see me smile yesterday around 2:30' did wave


70 here today, kind of perfect for me

Mom and the girls just left, busy day, I didn't even get to say 'morning'

Just washed my travel clothes, my floors, vacuumed/dusted and am all but done for the day..do have to run to town for a few groceries then pick up mail, Jammies for me the moment I get home. Feels like I haven't even left and I've only been home 1 day 😉

Went through my wood pieces, Lordy, must organize and do something with them

Girls want me to get a few things painted and take them and some quilt pieces to the craft barn and out a price on them,we'll see!

Ahhh "M" he is adorable

Karen, are you getting back into a routine with family gone?

Missy looks so lonely, almost feel like I should go get another kitty to keep her company, don't know if I should

Susan .. here's the treat recipe my lil herd likes best ..
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dog-treats-i/

Sure hope the link works .. the Paula Deen ones seem to hve gone over not so bad, i'll look hat one up later ..

Hi to all, as usual, I'm on the move >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

~M~

Bob........ time to relax & rest........ no, sorry to say, he's not
It is getting closer to that time when he will be able to, I'm happy to say :-)

Marilynne, thank you for the link for the doggie treats!!

Remy was named that because all the men are "R" names. Father Robert, sons Raymond & Ryan.
The name was just "picked out of the air"

Hi Everyone, I'm home safe and sound. Fastest trip ever. Left last Thursday and got home this evening. Not exhausted. As often happens the most nerve-racking part was the border as I had a split air conditioner and a number of other things I did not want to have check too closely. I got very lucky - no one was watching and I just sailed through.

One great experience - the young man I bought the a/c from has relatives who spend the winter here in Mulege. I didn't recognize their names though I may know them by sight. Jesssie - the seller - and I had a great conversation and I think the a/c will make a good difference.

I was able to pick up my meds on Friday and get blood tests done on Saturday. Spent several hours getting car parts for Jose, the friend who rescued me on Christmas. Then went to the movies - saw the new Mission Impossible which was OK but I was glad I went to an early show and only paid $6.

After missing a customs check the rest of my trip home was happily uneventful. Dogs are happy to see me and happy to get a little food treat.

Tony will be really surprised tomorrow as I had expected to be gone at least two weeks.

My left arm got sunburned on the way up and is peeling a bit. Other than that it's all good here. Looks like a few more jackfruit seeds have sprouted up. The first one is already about 6" tall and putting out the second set of permanent leaves.

Thoughts and prayers for all of you, especially those dealing with family/health issues as well as moving and washing machines. I'm happy with my old wringer washer and solar dryer.

hugs, katie

Good morning, and, welcome home Katie .. happy to hear all went well, both on the trip and, at the border.

Another day in the 60s here .. DH has said he is going with me for groceries, we'll see .. now that you have to 'bag your own', well, I just am the absolute PITS at it .. either the bag keeps folding in on itself, or I can't get stuff to fit, and, I have problems with things like 2 litre cartons of milk, hard to grasp them .. be nice if he comes along, but not absolutely necessary.

Tomorrow is my Aunties 100th BDay, have to pick up a card ..

Off to the races .. hi to everyone

~M~

Welcome home Katie. Glad to hear your trip went smoothly.

Good luck grocery shopping with hubby.

Morning all,

Much the same weather as you "M"
Had to run to post office, amazed, it was like 1/2 the sky had been sliced
One side the bluest ever and the other stormy grey and raining not sure which shall win out

Katie that was indeed a quick trip, glad it went so well.

Wow "M" 100, will you get to visit with her today? Sounds as though Gord is feeling a tad better, hope he can go to help you out.

Susan, does bob get holidays??

Was hoping the card in my mailbox yesterday was from the hotel sending me my drivers license and debit card but wasn't, it was from Pam, Gardenglory who was to send me a swap block but Lordy look how she spoilt me, enough matching fabric to make an entire quilt

Not much going on, waiting to hear from Linda, she was in emerge last night so just sitting hand sewing binding on a small Xmas throw so relaxing for sure.

Looks as though it's starting to clear up, would like to work in the gardens for a bit, sure need to tidy up spent flowers..had some gorgeous looking pretties but the storm flattened them. Big sigh

Those are beautiful fabrics.

100 years old........ wow - good for her!
100 seems to be the going temperature in a lot of places, too! Hope things are cooling down for those who need it.
Katie - SO glad you're back - we missed you terribly!!
Betty - beautiful fabric that Pam sent - lovely block, too!
Bob got 1 week in June (that's when Mike shut off our fridge while we were gone for 8 days), and has another week in August but we could only afford & get camping for Mon to Fri - 17th to 21st, because it's all booked up. He'll get the 2 weekends to relax at home, hopefully.
I sent an email to Grace & Robert telling them they need to honour their promise and pay for a plumber so we get running water in the kitchen - have the counters & sink installed, just not the water, and the dishwasher still leaks at the join so not using it either. They want Bob to keep trying and I told them in the beginning he's not a plumber and they said then that they'd pay for one. I told them "asap", and they could get a plumber or we could, but they're paying.

Wow, would renting a place be automatic that water would be provided by them
This move is also starting to sound like a bad decision..feel sorry for you both
Haven't you now been there a month
Well it was better to find out about the leak before installed and flood damage occurred

Had a fresh tomato sandwich and can't resist making a cucumber one
Cooked a healthy stew yesterday, froze 4 meals, enough for tonight and tomorrow
Guess with temps cooling last 2 days it got me thinking comfort food. Lol
Actually put fireplace on this a.m as it was damp and cool

Yes, we moved here July 5th (was supposed to be the 8th, but with Mike......... moved early).
I know that Grace has been taking advantage of us, and so does her family (son said so last night, and I told him I know......), but now I'm digging my heels in and she Will take care of her tenants. Told her that the plumber is coming tomorrow, and he'll do the work for under $200 and they are to pay for it! So There! Bob is not a plumber and they knew this when they rented to us. Seems if they think that there's a loophole or can persuade us that they're right, they will take over and run with it. She's a tightwad and knows it.......
BUT, they will pay for things that are not our responsibility and we've done enough, frankly.
I will stand my ground!!!!

So hope there is not another move in your future Susan
Wouldn't take much intelligence to know you have to provide water

oh, there will be, if Marcel & Carolyn don't stay in the motor home - we'll move Right Back! It's twice the size of where we are now..... and I'd be so glad to be able to stretch out!
Next mid-June is when their lease is up. I don't know what their plans are.

Hope the time goes by quickly..don't think I could handle owning a place twice the size and have to fight with landlord for essentials such as water..I'd be putting everything in storage and living in the rv

lol That was Ker's suggestion - that we live in the RV
Where would we put the piano - On the roof?
twice the size? this is 1/2 the size of our last place.
and tonight it looks like we'll get a couple of wardrobes - metal frame with a canvas cover - for $15 each! Would be really easy to bring home, which is what we were having trouble with, getting wardrobes before......

SMASH MOUTH... YUMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
First potatoes from the garden at supper .. dug, washed and cooked all within 20 minutes .. just scrumptious ...
Must be 'THAT' time of year ...

All I can do is wish you the best of luck Susan ..

Betty, you're right about the 'comfort food' ... but, our temps are slated to rise significantly in a couple of days ..
Hope we don't get hail like Calgary did !!

Bought flowers for the 100th BDay party today .. looks as though it'll be a busy day ..


Take care

~M~

all over the city I'm hearing about damaging hail, snow, rain and winds...... this is Calgary in August.... Especially downtown and Core area.

Hooray hooray......... things are starting to look up - Grace, Robert & their boys are heading to Malaysia tonight, for a month, getting plumbing done at 8am tomorrow, and wardrobes are going to be picked up tomorrow night (weather & traffic too bad for Bob to want to head out more than once tonight, and he's helping take Grace et all to the airport at about 9pm)

Sounds good, Susan. I was thinking of what you're going through and it occurs to me that sometimes life throws challenges at us to test whether we really keep our agreements. You are doing that, even when others seem to be giving you all kinds of things that you could use as excuses to back off what you have agreed to. Good for you for being true to yourself and your values.

We have the van almost all unpacked. Tony got his new electric drill and is really happy with it. I got him one some time back but it got worn out. Got a much tougher one this time.

I have about two dozen little jackfruit trees potted up. We have lettuce, corn and okra coming up. Two papaya trees are producing and there are lots of little dragonfruits.

It is really hot and humid. Hard to stay outside for any length of time.

Everything is fine here. Knock on wood. Wishing the same peace for all of you.

hugs, katie

someone please spare me from false Christians....... Grace and Robert, going to Malaysia tonight, came by before Bob takes them to the airport (two vehicles cuz it's 4 of them and 7 pieces of luggage) to bring us some meatloaf, and tell us they never agreed to pay for the plumbing and won't do so. Feel we left it to the last minute so they would feel they had to pay for it. I told her that she Did say she would - she said "no". Told her maybe she was thinking out loud (tried to give her an "out"), but no..... She gave me a hug, said she'll pay for us looking after Remy for the month, and we can use that $200 for the plumber. Won't pay until they return in Sept. THIS is being a Christian? She called me a liar, without using those words...... just kept saying she never said that. So, we pay upfront, and they will pay us in a month. Otherwise, we can wait until they come back, and we can use their kitchen upstairs..... it's NOT our home..... neither of us want to do this. I can just see myself carrying my pots & pans upstairs, and down.
I am SO upset. I feel like giving our 2 months (yeah, most is 1 month's notice, but she insists we both have a 2 month notice). She gives out hugs when she's wrong, but this is not sufficient to smooth things over.
I thought this was going to be the final step to us feeling at home, but we're almost broke......... She asked if it was "ok to pay when they come back?" like it was a foregone conclusion that it was ok. We ARE almost broke, and she's blaming us for it because we wanted a proper kitchen will full countertops (she thought it would be fine to have no counter top on some cabinets, which is against the health standards code.
I'm hurt, angry, upset........ you name it........

My faith has been restored......... I told the fellow who was installing our kitchen (Harold) about Grace & Robert refusing to pay for the plumbing, and he said "bs - pick me up in the morning and I'll do what I can". I called the plumber (Kadin) and told him that we couldn't pay him (we're almost broke at the moment), and he said "have Harold do the work, and if he has any questions he should call me. If he can't complete the job, I'll swing by at the end of my day in the afternoon, and I'll complete it.". Harold said "awesome - between us, we'll get you to where you need to be".
Here & now, I'd like to say that there are some very good people in this city, and some that will pretend to be good, and use you. I'm happy to say we know Harold & Kadin. Without good people like them, Bob & I would be in a sorry state, indeed.

Susan, there has got to be a legal recourse and you need to find it. Maybe the health department - a rental must be up to code.

Am also tempted to suggest that Bob refuses to take them to the airport. An all agreements are off response to their retracting on the plumbing. You have some power here.

You can just refuse to help with their travel and tell them you will be contacting the legal authorities about the plumbing and maybe other issues. I suspect their apt is seriously not up to code and you can take the month while they are away to investigate your options. You may also want to consider looking over what happened with Ker again.

Do not panic!! Easy for me to say, right? But they are trying to force you to do things their way.

Here's an idea: What if you and Bob moved upstairs while they are gone? Move their stuff downstairs. Change all the locks. Make them have to do something.

While you consider your options - and you have a lot - stay calm. You have lots of support here and I've only just begun to think of things you can do. You are not powerless.

Being without a secure home base is very hard to deal with. You've been bounced around enough. There are lots of things you can do - both legal and illegal. First things is to get on the phone tomorrow and check out your legal situation.

Meanwhile have a few good fantasies - like getting out fast and then burning their house to the ground. Don't do it, you understand, but it's OK to think what fun it would be.

There will always be people who take advantage of those of us who can be too trusting.

Sit tight and get some good legal advice before anything else.

hugs, katie

Susan - we cross-posted. I still think you need to check out your legal status ASAP. kb

Picture of Remy
He's a sweetheart, and he's whimpering for his family. Never mind, by the time we've looked after him for a month, we'll be his family too :-)

ah yes, we cross posted.
I've had my fantasies too......... giving Remy to a neighbour to look after, meanwhile moving back to the mobile while Marcel & Carolyn are in the UK (only for another 1 1/2 weeks......), etc etc
With us looking after Remy, we're kinda stuck - but we're going on vacation from Aug 17th to 21st and I'm looking forward to that.

This message was edited Aug 5, 2015 9:39 PM

There is sure to be a government office that can inform you about the legal situation. You really have to do this. It is great that you have people who will do the plumbing but you are keeping yourself at a great disadvantage by remaining in the dark about the legal issues. You need to get the information and then put your rental agreement in writing to give to the owners when they return.

Warning: If you do not get the legal information and protect yourself you will get no more sympathy from me. No excuses. If that sounds tough, it is. You need to do this.

hugs, katie

Thanks Katie - I know:
1. this is not a legal suite
2. it's not a 1% vacancy rate anymore - it's more like 5.6% (just found this out tonight - we Did have concerns about not finding another place to live)
3. We're not putting another penny in here if it's not for our direct comfort - nothing that would be strictly to suit them.
4. Bob is not going to do anything for their deck - they'd said they would hire him, but when he said $20 to $25/hr is the cheapest rate, they just bought a drip cap so water wouldn't run into our patio, and never bought lumber for Bob to do the work.

I know it won't be for long that we're here, and I had already planned on getting legal advice. I'm feeling like I will have lost respect of many people for having gotten ourselves in yet another predicament........ but I guess I will survive that better than what we're going through now.

You had to get out of the situation with Ker and Mike so you jumped and I can't fault you for that. But now you have the time to take stock of your legal situation. And I think you will get some good news - people who rent a substandard place can be in a lot of legal trouble.

Looking forward to hearing what the legal people tell you. And prepare to stand up for your rights. Asserting yourself may be the hardest part.

hugs, katie

As you said, I jumped out of a bad situation......
This is better, but it's still wrong. I'd be willing to forgive a lot, but abusing us is not the way to go.
They owe a lot to us, and they're not taking care of us as tenants. They are new at this landlord "game", but I realize what it's like to be a tenant, and this is not the way to "win friends and influence people".........
it's about looking about your tenants, properly, and not taking advantage of them.

Susan, I agree with Katie. Check into your legal rightd.
If you don't have water for the kitchen, do you have bathroom facilities that work?

yes, the bathroom is fully functional - pedestal sink, shower & toilet. It was done well.
The kitchen was in 2 parts when we moved here - one was a double sink and fridge, then a door to the rest - with a triple industrial sink, no cabinets or counters. Obviously the industrial sink would not work for a normal kitchen. They sold the sink for $500, told us to buy kitchen cabinets for $200 (we found a set for free, but they tossed them out - not suitable for a relatively new house of 8 years), so we found a set for $350, and they paid $200 of that. They wouldn't pay for anything else in the kitchen, but the sink (bought off kijiji.ca for $25).
They bought our washer & dryer for $200 (just paid us the other day) and put in a stackable one better suited to the size of the suite. Bob got the washer/dryer working, he & Harold installed the cabinets (with no studs!!!), and Bob installed the countertops, dishwasher and sink.
Today we get the dishwasher & sink plumbing.
Last night they said we could wait for the plumbing until they came back and we could use the upstairs kitchen in the meantime. We both told them "No, that's your home" and told them we are getting our plumbing Today!
I'm going to call Landlords & Tenants today and see what our recourse is.
Right now, I'm going to take a very depressed Remy outside and see if he'll "go".......
He barked now and again last night, and won't eat. This is going to be for a month? should be interesting....

There are no words Susan...think out of desperation you moved from the frying pan into the fire..shaking my head ..can see another move coming but how lucky for the landlords, they will then have a functioning basement apartment to rent out.

Re my will likely take a few days to adjust..

Katie, bet it feels good to see how excited Tony is with new drill..know how I jump for joy when I get a tool I want.

How are you feeling lindakay?? No news yet on when they can do the surgery. Girls on Tuesday were saying how much in pain Aline is..had one hip done about 5 years ago, her shoulder a few months ago and now waiting for surgery..they said they almost had to carry her downstairs last week so that she could spend the day with them

Karen, how are you doing? Missing family like crazy I bet

Barb, doesNorm get holidays?

Just a thought if this is not a legal rental - wouldn't calling in an agency blow everything up and land you out of the house again? Would it then be on a tenant check site, that you contacted authorities, and skew up any potential future rentals?

Thanks for asking Betty. I woke up Saturday in a lot of pain. I went to my chiropractor Monday for an adjustment and that helped a little. I just got back from urgent care and got a shot of toradol to get things to relax.
Still no word on a date for surgery.

Susan, it just doens't make any sense that you should have to pay anything toward making the space liveable. They will end up with a nice space to rent out once you and Bob leave, that they wouldn't have had if you guys didn't put the work in to it. You should be reimbursed for everything, in full, right away. I have a rental house and anything that the tenants do to improve the property, painting, etc, if they do the work, the cost gets deducted from their monthly rent. If it needs to be done, I have to call someone to go in and do the work, and I have to pay in full for the job. I just don't understand people's thinking, even if they are new at being landlords. Praying you get things resolved quickly.

$200 for a month of taking care of their dog is way underpriced. Around here the going rate is $25 - $30 a day.

Deb

yeah, we'd have it all blow up in our face, maybe........
yes, it would be a lot more expensive for dog sitting, and they're basically asking us to housesit as well, which means our rent should be FREE....... after all, would anyone be charged to housesit?
She wanted me to answer the phone (I said NO), be available to sell their kijiji items, etc etc
And it does not say (as she said it did) that we would do the plumbing, in the lease.
n/m - I'm stupid, yet again, for trusting someone and they said they are Christians....... not at all....... they pray every night, but that doesn't mean they practice their Christianity.