I'm at a crossroads in my life.
The past four years placed a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. It started with Hurricane Katrina in August of '05. At the time I was living in my triplex in New Orleans but evacuated to my mother's place in Baton Rouge. Some of you may already have an idea of what that period of time was like. Anyway, I make most of my living from my rental apartments so I had to get my house fixed as quickly as possible. I couldn't afford to wait for my insurance to pay, so I repaired my house with a combination of debt spending and countless hours of hard work. I had to rent all the apartments, including mine, to be able to pay for my repair-related debt. But at least the work was done and my head was financially back above water.
About a year after Katrina my grandmother's Alzheimer's was progressing to the point that she needed daily care. I had just rented my last apartment and couldn't move back to New Orleans yet, so I stayed living in Baton Rouge so I could look after Grandma. Daily care turned into 24 hour care, the disease progressed, and three years later she died.
Then there was Hurricane Gustav in September '08. The national news didn't pay much attention to it, but Baton Rouge sure got it's ass kicked. More specifically, my mother's house got it's ass kicked. And much of the roof was torn off. Like the roof over the guest bedroom where I was staying, for example. I went from living in a nice apartment in my own house where I was the landlord, to living in my mother's guest bedroom, to living on my mother's living room sofa.
The point is I've been overwhelmed by responsibility for nearly four years now. I remember being in New Orleans for Mardi Gras '06. My house is only three blocks from a major parade route but I worked instead of enjoying myself. I was repairing the bricks of my front staircase while tourists walked past on their way to a parade. This past Mardi Gras I would have liked to go to the Spanish Town parade here in Baton Rouge (It's awesome. Their symbol is the pink flamingo, as in the John Waters movie. It's the tackiest parade ever!) but I had to stay with my grandmother. That's been the story of my life for such a long time.
But things are changing. Grandma's passing is the most obvious change, but it seems like pressure is being relieved in every direction. My house is now in much better shape than it's ever been in the ten years I've owned it. I even have a little efficiency apartment in my basement now, so I have a place to stay in New Orleans. I'm getting fairly close to finishing the repair/remodel of my mother's place. It's looking better than it ever has.
So, what shall I do with myself now? I'm nearing the next stage of my life. Once I finish my mother's place and tie up some loose ends in Baton Rouge I'll be moving back to New Orleans. What then?
Your guess is as good as mine
The past four years placed a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. It started with Hurricane Katrina in August of '05. At the time I was living in my triplex in New Orleans but evacuated to my mother's place in Baton Rouge. Some of you may already have an idea of what that period of time was like. Anyway, I make most of my living from my rental apartments so I had to get my house fixed as quickly as possible. I couldn't afford to wait for my insurance to pay, so I repaired my house with a combination of debt spending and countless hours of hard work. I had to rent all the apartments, including mine, to be able to pay for my repair-related debt. But at least the work was done and my head was financially back above water.
About a year after Katrina my grandmother's Alzheimer's was progressing to the point that she needed daily care. I had just rented my last apartment and couldn't move back to New Orleans yet, so I stayed living in Baton Rouge so I could look after Grandma. Daily care turned into 24 hour care, the disease progressed, and three years later she died.
Then there was Hurricane Gustav in September '08. The national news didn't pay much attention to it, but Baton Rouge sure got it's ass kicked. More specifically, my mother's house got it's ass kicked. And much of the roof was torn off. Like the roof over the guest bedroom where I was staying, for example. I went from living in a nice apartment in my own house where I was the landlord, to living in my mother's guest bedroom, to living on my mother's living room sofa.
The point is I've been overwhelmed by responsibility for nearly four years now. I remember being in New Orleans for Mardi Gras '06. My house is only three blocks from a major parade route but I worked instead of enjoying myself. I was repairing the bricks of my front staircase while tourists walked past on their way to a parade. This past Mardi Gras I would have liked to go to the Spanish Town parade here in Baton Rouge (It's awesome. Their symbol is the pink flamingo, as in the John Waters movie. It's the tackiest parade ever!) but I had to stay with my grandmother. That's been the story of my life for such a long time.
But things are changing. Grandma's passing is the most obvious change, but it seems like pressure is being relieved in every direction. My house is now in much better shape than it's ever been in the ten years I've owned it. I even have a little efficiency apartment in my basement now, so I have a place to stay in New Orleans. I'm getting fairly close to finishing the repair/remodel of my mother's place. It's looking better than it ever has.
So, what shall I do with myself now? I'm nearing the next stage of my life. Once I finish my mother's place and tie up some loose ends in Baton Rouge I'll be moving back to New Orleans. What then?
Your guess is as good as mine
VIEW 25 of 40 COMMENTS
tiger_fodder:
Thanks, sir!
grayness:
I haven't even shown the deer, or other inhabitants yet. 