Friday 9 August 2024

Rental house memories

 Memories

 I've a special fondness for this species, a balloon flower. When the three of us moved out of our family home in 1993 in the divorce, we were living in a house I'd rented from my student's mother, whose house was up for sale. That didn't work out for us. 

This next rental was a newish bungalow in Manotick in 1994, me a newly single mom. It was built for the family's elderly in-laws/parents. The family lived in a mansion on the river at the back of the property, the bungalow at the front for the in-laws. The big house had an indoor pool, and a TV the size of PEI. They had an indoor pool, speed boats on the river, but a nice Italian Catholic family to take us in.

The father-in-law died, the mother couldn't live there in the bungalow alone. It was put up for rent. They liked that I had a full-time job, and the family wanted the house lived in until they decided to sell it or not. They didn't charge me market rent, thankfully. That first and last month's rent is brutal for renters. 

I had a meltdown at school, after my principal was bullying me at the time. (She was a childess non-cat lady!) We called her 'The Princess.' I took two weeks sick leave off of work. I planted a brand new garden while I healed from trauma. It was a great bungalow and my sanctuary. 

You can see the long driveway leading to the mansion on the Ottawa River.

Problem was, there was a spring going from under the ground by the highway towards the river, behind the house. The sump pump worked constantly in spring. I remember the sump pump breaking down once twice. My landlord came, leaving the Lamborghini in his three-car garage. 😜  The landlord replaced the sump pump with a new cheap one. It failed a couple weeks later, with much rain and meltwater. He bought a more expensive one for the house. My things were floating in 6" of water in the basement. Oh, the memories! 


The trees were planted after we moved, and, I presume, they sold the house.

Back to the present...

The Angel's Trumpet is doing well, aside from the potato beetles. 

Pumpkins to be! 

Calla lily
Wood sunflower:

9 comments:

Barbara Rogers said...

It's funny how some of us related to places with our memories. Others will remember things with scents, or foods, or particular music! I'm a place person, and loved hearing about your early house rental experience. No fun with floods!

Anvilcloud said...

No mention of health. I think that is a good sign.

Jeanie said...

Big smiles at the memories. So nice to have a family recognize you would be good tenants and modify the rent accordingly. Bummer on the sump, though. Yes, memories.

Divers and Sundry said...

It's interesting to look back at houses we've lived in. I like your flowers, such a wonderful part of summertime.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Nice sunflower to brighten the day! I hope you can hang in there until the 16th for your refill. Doctors sometimes have samples...maybe yours?

RedPat said...

I hope they have a functioning sump pump in that house today. We have had so much rain again.

Nancy J said...

Memories, a few years ago Hugh and I drove up the road that goes through what was my Mum and Dad's farm. Some properties had security coded gates at the front, a section for sale, in what was a paddock that had a huge gully in it, and the prices !!!! Landlords really need to live in the homes they rent and fine what real life is like. Hope you are both still mending well and not trying to do the impossible, or even the probable. Rest often.

Red said...

I spent five years in government housing and don't remember any problems. Renter experiences are all over the place.

DeniseinVA said...

It’s a beautiful bloom, I saw them for the first time in one of the gardens of a historical home not too far away. We have lived in a few interesting rentals, some good memories, some bad. School yard bullies sometimes grow up into adult bullies, I am sorry you had to deal with that. It sounds like the garden was a great sanctuary. Thanks for sharing all these memories, and the pretty flowers.