Bamboozled

It looks like fishing poles sprouted up in the yard next door. The bamboo plants are now over 7 foot tall.

We are waiting to see how long it takes the city to do something about it. They cut the grass, bill the owner, but have yet to come by this year.

I was told by a neighbor that I would have first dibs to buy that house from the city for back taxes being that I live right next door, but I don’t have the cash to make an offer.

I was like ahhh… so I looked it up on the auditor’s website and, sure enough, the owner is listed as “address unknown” and the city tacks 600 a year onto his unpaid tax bill to maintain the yard.

So, to sound a bit like Mr. Rogers… who wants to be my neighbor?

There is a very good possibility that the city would consider an offer as low as 5,000 considering the back taxes are racking up to about five grand with the yard maintenance fees and all. I told the kids about it, but they don’t want to live that close to mama.

It could be a nice little house… 3 bedroom ranch, full basement, nice size yard, decent garage. Roof looks fine, newer style windows, siding needs washed and painted. And, it is located in a racially diverse South side neighborhood, near St. Matthias on a quiet little street of mostly owner occupied homes, within a half block walk to the nearest WRTA bus route.

I’m not a Realtor, have nothing to gain if someone buys it…. except a new neighbor who will hopefully keep that bamboo under control. I’ve read that it will eventually die off if you keep it cut down due to lack of photosynthesis (sunshine on leaves) but who knows? I just don’t want it spreading to my yard.

Thanks for reading!

 

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Roots

Grandma, please stay in this house.
I want to visit you here when I’m all grown up.

Awe, such an odd request… have I really moved so much? A quick mental count of addresses (five) since this child was born eight years ago reveals a short list compared to my lifetime change of no less than 36 addresses.

Maybe more… it is easy to forget some places.

I grew up moving, new school every year, and never grew too attached to anywhere as an adult. Home is where you hang your hat, no matter where you are. Perhaps a little too Winnie the Pooh for cartoon psychology? Was it Piglet who said, “I go everywhere I go?” Twirled with Popeye’s “I am who I am” on down a life path of Paddington Bear adventures, clicking my heels together three times will not land me back in some magical place called home.

Okay Zarah, grandma is putting down roots… bought the house, with full intentions of staying put for the duration, if I am still alive and breathing on this planet when she is all grown up.

I requested a Burpee Seed Catalog… all wish books should be made of paper, even if you can flip pages online. I need to plant daisies, strawberries, and sunflowers to make the beds feel like mine.

Has it only been three months?

I lived downtown for three years, but obvious changes made me feel like a visitor to DoYo when I hopped the bus to run some errands in my old neighborhood. I had planned to buy Sumatra at Friends… but, the coffee shop is gone now, with brown paper “closed for business” signs plastered on locked doors. Circle revamped their store layout. That’s cool… they are adding more grocery items. Crossed paths with a bearded man who used to hit me up for a buck now and then, when he was clean shaven. New employee at Joe Maxx, who made me repeat my order.

How hard is it to understand that a request for a “tall” coffee means the customer wants coffee in the tall cup? Small, medium, and large are heights baby, not diameter sizes… they all take the same size lids.

Whoa… when did Joe Maxx change their to-go cups? The new not-as-stiff white paper cups totally suck… I ended up fighting with the lid as it kept popping off with the slightest pressure on the sides from just trying to pick it up. Before walking out the door, the dude was kind enough to swap the large for a medium cup, on which the lid stayed on better. Wish they’d go back to serving in the old brown cups, they were insulated a bit, kept the coffee warm longer.

I don’t mind change… as long as it is for the better.

Come Spring, the grandchildren can help me put seeds in the ground and we will grow some roots right here on the south side of Youngstown. We might grow some tomatoes, too.

Thanks for reading!