leder legends

What’s your reaction when someone says they have rental properties?  I generally get a variety of comments but by far the most common is “That’s way too much work for me!”.  While the occasional problem arises, overall that’s not true. Over the years I have been able to develop a small group of handy, dependable people that help me deal with almost everything.  One important thing that I deal with personally is assessing and cleaning the house or apartment when a tenant leaves.  I’ll be honest- that is a lot of work! Thankfully, my tenants have been very loyal and tend to stay for a long while.  Three weeks ago a tenant of almost 4 years gave notice. Given the fact that he had one dog and sometimes two, the place was in good shape but he really wasn’t a cleaner so the dust up high in corners and on the ceiling fan was terrible!  I went in to assess the place and decided it really was time to paint. Four large rooms and a long hallway with 10 foot walls and ...

My friend was very surprised to see a large hardy begonia blooming in my front yard. It's a surprise every fall since it is hidden away under a large hosta. I also have one in the backyard that is larger and more showy than the one in the front. Seeing those made me wonder what else was still in bloom. There are various Autumn Joy sedum scattered around the yard!   Liriope always bloom late. This is a variegated liriope with purple flowers A  green variety with white flowers. Purple turtlehead - a Michigan native. Russian sage that I hope spreads in the front yard because the deer do not like it. The Japanese anenome looked awesome dancing in the breeze. There is a light purple one... ..... and a white one. Rose of Sharon also comes in mauve and white. I also found one lone day lily in bloom. There are more…it's...

We are getting lazy and uninspired …it’s that time of year…and so has our motivation to find new restaurants to try. As a consequence, we have been doing repeats. Last Wednesday we went to Morning Belle...it's been a positive experience in the past.  It's still popular and frequented by those seeking breakfast or lunch. I ordered a breakfast (for lunch) - eggs, bacon, and a pancake. What could go wrong? Burned bacon, eggs in weird smelling and tasting grease and an overcooked pancake- that's what! Rose had a BLT avocado with a sauce on a pretzel bun. What could go wrong? No avocado and a sliver of tomato, no sauce -that's what! We don't usually but this time we did complain. The waitress was full of excuses and the manager did not appreciate out candor.  He did comp our meals ...reluctantly.  Afterwards, we were very surprised that the waitress totally dissed us. Rose even tried to speak with her and she hurried on by.  We somehow got on her ...

Part of the renovation, as result of our decision to "age in place", was buying and replacing lights. The bathroom, because it had been gutted etc, seemed to deserve "good" lights. I shopped online and in local lighting stores and was blown away by the high prices and the random quality. We were planning on 9 new lights or light/ceiling fan combinations.  At $300 or higher for each, I was hesitant to spend so much at this point.  The big box stores, like Home depot and Lowe's, carry a decent variety of lights and at a much lower price.  So, I bought 4 low-profile ceiling fans, 4 low-profile ceiling lights of different sizes, a light fixture over the mirror in the bathroom and a screw-in light for the garage - all for a price that fit the budget and they look pretty good and updated! If I hate them in a few years, they can be replaced! This one is Arie’s “new” study! It’s a small one. This is a large light in the front hall. This is another fan/light ...

New school year..in Anchorage!

  I have an apartment for rent and that means a refresh, restart, recheck and maybe a repaint. Lots of work!  It’s been almost 4 years so I have been lucky.  This is in an old, old house that has been divided into 4 apartments. The tenants in the other three apartments have been there for a long time.  I would hate to see what those places will look like when those tenants leave. The house is in a desirable part of town especially for those who work in the medical mile or downtown. It has a designated parking spot for each apartment and free storage in the basement. There is a coin operated washer and dryer in the basement. Tenants may have a flowerbed if they enjoy gardening.  There are porches, front and back, that they may use. It’s a pretty decent place to live without central air conditioning. The place comes with two tenant responsibilities that are nonnegotiable. The snow removal is their responsibility.  More importantly ther...