A Day From Leeds

This morning started off with me swinging to take a look at a few of my homes on my way to pick up Carolsue. Together, we made our way, winding past Ms. Kathy's house (and seeing a pet carrier on the front steps and a dog house on the back deck...) towards my least favorite destination in the entire South: Leeds Alabama.

I would like to tell you a few good things about my house in Leeds right now.

1. It appears the head of the Red Neck Mafia has moved out. Or passed on. Either way is good for me. I am pleased to say that his yard was cleaned up and the only signs of life at his house was a black man who pulled up in a construction pick-up. So, I guarantee this neighbor is now a former neighbor.

2. The idiot across the street and his felon daughter were nowhere to be seen. I'm good with that. However, I think they may have broken in and stolen the kitchen light. At least they were kind enough to cap the ends of the electrical wires.

3. The house I own in Leeds on a very quiet street really is super-cute when it is cleaned up. I so very much want to find someone who will love this house. I really do. And, they must pay the rent. Without drama. Is that really asking too much?

What I did find when Carolsue and I arrived was a cleaned up version of the pictures Kirby showed me from when the tenants first moved out. In a moment of multi-tasking, as I was looking at crayon and peanut butter walls, I called Kirby while I also dealt with a mild stroke. Kirby--who now manages more than 100 properties--dropped everything and hurried on over (a total customer service professional!). Of course, then I got to see the "before" pictures he had for me. So, the cleaned up version was much, much better.

In one of the before pictures there is obviously a light fixture in the kitchen. There is also a picture of the kitchen where the previous tenants left a cooked chicken on the kitchen counter in their haste to scurry out the door. They also left behind a few toys and other personal belongings as well. And coffee grounds. Did I mention the coffee grounds on the carpet?

I gotta tell you. Every carpet must be cleaned and every wall needs some level of paint on it--most of it is just touch-up. But still! I have successfully managed to keep my kids from writing on the walls with Sharpies for ten years. These folks only lived here for seven weeks.

As we were walking out, Carolsue made friends with an elderly neighbor. The neighbor in question (who just loved Carolsue), has a friend of a sister of a cousin's hairdresser who needs a place to live. I didn't understand much of it, but she now has Kirby's phone number and Carolsue is going to be invited back for Easter dinner.

While Carolsue and her new friend were chatting it gave me time to cover the one burning question Kirby had on his mind. Why did Carolsue keep referring to him as "Kirby?" You see, Kirby is not Kirby's real name. As with most of the names on this blog, Kirby is a pseudonym. So, I explained the whole blog thing to him. He took it in stride. And thankfully didn't ask to read this.