Final Harvest

Here is the final harvest from my garden. The plants have been stripped, and ripped from the ground. The rebar and chicken wire, the boards (acting as retaining walls), and the stakes have been removed. I expect to buy some grass seed tomorrow, and a bit of hay to serve as shade and cover for the seedlings until they take. Sad to see it go. There will be a new garden for me, I'm sure.

I'm not quite sure where it will be just now. I got the lease for our new place via email, and noted the glaring addendum absolutely no pets. Too bad, I think, they'll either relent or lose us as tenants. We've had cats for over eight years now, longer than we've had children. With us, they will remain. This part of the country, and here alone in my experience (regular readers know how many places I've lived!), security deposits can run the equivalent of two months' (exorbitant) rent or more. Perhaps that was reasonable when rents were lower, but today I'd have to break all the windows, knock down a wall, and set the floor on fire to justify it. Let's put it this way, their security deposit is more than I've ever grossed a month in my life! So, no, if they ask, I'm not willing to grant them an additional pet deposit. We only looked at places which did not prohibit pets in their ads. I think we've got a good chance they won't want to back out now... but the ball's in their court. I'll call the owner in a little while, once I calm down.

The good thing is the move package provides up to 45 days temporary housing. At least we won't go homeless anytime soon. So, we don't need to be desperate. There are options. If not here, and not now, then somewhere, and soon.

**Updated to add:
Good news. We won't be homeless at all. I talked to the son of the owner, who is managing the property, to say we had cats. You have two? Um, no. We have three. The momma cat, and two of her kittens, who are now about eight years old. She's about ten. I'll have to discuss it with my mom. It's her decision. Apparently, she's 82, dependent on the income from the property for her living, and recently had a bad experience with the previous tenants who had dogs. (They were ten year residents, so it's hard to imagine it was such a bad experience!) In any case, the son and daughter-in-law are managing the property, and both seemed to be taken by me, at least convinced by me that they'd be better off sticking with us than starting over. This experience only reinforces my belief that once someone has committed to something, they are loath to reconsider. Good to remember when negotiating a job contract (some day), that you are the best they've got, so you might as well get what you can.

The daughter-in-law called me this evening to say that they told the owner "which is true, that you have one old and dear cat, who is part of the family." What they neglected to tell her was that we also have two of her spawn. "She's not going to come over, and she doesn't see very well anyhow, so you'll be fine." That's what my fifth grade teacher would have called the safe side of lying. Ah well, as long as they know we have three cats, I'm happy. And, the daughter-in-law indicated that we'd be fine setting aside part of the yard as a vegetable garden as well. What more could I ask for?