In The Beginning

photo:Young@Heart Chorus

Once upon a time there lived a couple who decided to invest in a rental property. 
They found a large house in very poor condition and put their DIY skills to work. 
The couple wanted to rent the home to people that would take care of it. 
They decided to rent rooms to senior citizens. 

The wife was not employed at the time so she decided to cook three meals a day for the residents. The meals would be included in the monthly rent. 

She layed out a few house rules.

1. Residents must keep their own rooms neat and tidy.
2. Residents must keep themselves neat and tidy.
3. Residents must not talk to cook about bodily functions or dysfunctions.
4. Residents may not wander off in the middle of the night. This makes the neighbors unhappy.
5. Residents must put their teeth in before leaving their rooms.
6. Residents must work out their disagreements without assistance from cook. There will be no house meetings, time-outs or logical consequences. The cook has raised her children and does not suffer from empty nest syndrome i.e. I am not the house mother, I am your cook.
7. I am not a taxi driver, secretary, counselor, maid or any other service provider. I am your cook.
As the old adage goes, rules are meant to be broken. Hearing about bodily dysfunctions, bowel movements or non-movements, gastrointestinal ailments, flatulence, palpitations, constipation ad infinitum has become an everyday part of my life. I am at times the taxi driver to hair appointments and such. Occasionally, a resident may need a reminder about the teeth. I have worn the counselor hat and at times have felt like the social secretary. Some of these people have more of a social life than I do. I am not above giving a resident a tongue lashing if they are rude or inconsiderate of their housemates. Like I said, rules are meant to be broken, deal with it.

In the posts to come, I will share stories about the residents at Lola Court. Names will be changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent. Hope you enjoy.