Shades of Green

In the past few weeks, my new tenants, the Greens, have peppered Carolsue with phone calls. These calls range from inane to trivial.

The first time they called, they wanted to know if Carolsue or I had a key to the home. When Carolsue confirmed, yes, we did, they were surprised! "Why?" they asked. And, why indeed would the landlord have a key to their home? And, is this really a problem when the landlord is 1700 miles away?

Also, Mr. Green recently called Carolsue, asking her to bring over a can of popcorn spray so he could take care of a small patch on the ceiling. And, by the way, the bathroom sink is stopped up.

When I heard about this, I told Carolsue Mr. Green could go to the hardware store, get his own personal can of popcorn spray, fax me the receipt and I would be happy to reimburse the $6.99 if it was so important to him. But, I saw no reason for her to drive over on her own time for such a silly errand. After all, it is not a good idea to set a precedent with having Carolsue run errands for a tenant.

That's when Mrs. Green got involved. Yes, the sink was stopped up--and thank you for calling the plumber--but there was absolutely no way they were going to send me a receipt for the popcorn spray. And oh my! She was horribly embarrassed that her husband would be so petty to ask for something so minor.

Also during that call, Mrs. Green started in with Carolsue, explaining how her elderly mother--who is living with them--thinks I am a cheapskate because I had the downstairs potty replaced (it was cracked and leaking) and I didn't replace the upstairs one. Momma wanted Mrs. Green to call me immediately and demand I replace the toilet. Instead, Mrs. Green went to the local hardware store, bought a new seat and Momma now thinks I replaced the entire toilet.

And finally, a few days after this call, Mrs. Green called Carolsue. Could she have my bank account number so she could deposit the rent in my account? She didn't want it to be late. Of course rent isn't due for a few more weeks. Carolsue gently explained that she could just put a stamp on the envelope and send it to me. It would be ok.

Yep, I think I am going to like the Greens.