New Neighbors

I never go to the gym on New Year’s Day, too many people there for me to torture myself, but I knew today would be torture time, too, since it’s a national holiday for about 99% of the United States, and most of us are still trying to stick to our resolutions for at least two days.

I drove out to the suburban club I originally joined back in 2000 because it has a large parking lot. I got there at 8:30 am and the parking lot was already ¾ full. The locker room was packed and the floor was packed, but I managed to find a treadmill and began to walk my way into better health.

After working up a sweat, I continued the trend and sat in the sauna for a while. I watched the water aerobics class while the sweat beads were dripping off my nose. I’ve taken that class. It’s not too difficult, but it does off a nice resistance workout that’s easy on the joints.

By the time I left the gym, the parking lot was totally full, and now cars were driving around stalking out parking spaces.

Most club regulars, like me, hate this time of year, when people flock to gyms in droves. It’s not that we don’t want people to be fit and healthy, but it’s so difficult to watch people kill themselves for two or three weeks and then quit.

You aren’t going to lose your excess weight in a week. You aren’t going to be fit in a week. You are going to have to be disciplined and carve out a time for working out most days of the week. Working out is your top priority if you want to be fit, thin, and healthy.

I’m getting new neighbors. The alcoholic neighbors with their boozy ways and cigarette stink moved out when they could no longer pay the rent. They left half of their belongings behind for the landlord to clean up and haul away.

I could never be a landlord – I’d have dead tenants lying all over the place, because I would be so frustrated. I’ve rented before, too, but I tried to respect the space I lived in, if not for the landlord, then definitely for myself.

But I supposed renting out a space is like roulette, even though the credit report might be OK, you never know what you’re really getting. Then you end up on a beautiful fall afternoon hauling out crap to a junk yard because some lazy and drunken tenants decided not to move it.

The house has been empty since November 1. Mark left the door open and all sorts of interesting looking people dropped by to look at the place. The rent is $1,500 a month, plus all utilities. Most of the people who looked at it appeared not to be able to afford that kind of money for housing.

I was worried that a group of people would move in again. That would mean cars all over the place, people coming and going at all hours, and watching the cigarette smoke waft over to my space.

What I’ve seen so far is a woman with two sons, I assume, one a teenager and the other younger. I don’t think 50 other people are moving in with her, but we’ll see.

She’s been moving in things gradually since December 1. I think she must have paid her deposit, but not first month’s rent, as she was moving things into the garage.

Last night, Mark came over to collect the rent and give her the keys. She used a conversion van to bring over stuff and then today she’s been using the van and a small U-Haul truck for the rest of her things.

I’ve moved people in January before and it’s not fun. It’s a cold and windy day with icy sidewalks and driveways. I don’t know where she’s moving from, but I wouldn’t want to do it. Not in January. Ugh.

From what I’ve seen, I don’t know if she can really afford it either, but time will tell. Maybe the kids are nice and my grandsons will have someone to hang out with when they visit.

This is a time of year in Minnesota that we really don’t see our neighbors much anyway. We’re hibernating in our houses, staying warm huddled together, until the weather warms and we start venturing outside.

Hopefully, we’ll have a quiet winter and continue in the spring, getting to know each other, and not 50 other people that shouldn’t be living there.

My outdoor garden on 1/2/12

My indoor gardne on 1/2/12