LITTLE MAR-A-LAGO AT FALLINGBRICK

 

There are new opportunities for wailing and gnashing of teeth at the Geezer Apartments.  Bricks are now loose and about to fall off the building, so tape marked DANGER is wrapped around most of the building.  A few residents are furious (as if they haven’t been all along about everything they dislike). 

 

My small yard has been the only area with tape for the past month until yesterday. Bricks were removed from above my patio because they were on the verge of falling.  It would be painful or even deadly if a brick had hit me or Paddy in the head, but I was out of town when the brick removal happened.  Yet, management has determined that my yard is off-limits for weeks.

 

I never complained because I ducked under the tape to get to the sidewalk, but the complainers didn’t take up my cause because it didn’t personally impact them.  That’s okay because I waited until I received a notice that my lease was due to be renewed to negotiate that I was paying extra for a yard I couldn’t use.  Plus, water seeped down my walls when the upstairs neighbor’s apartment flooded after a freeze in December.  I could not fully use my apartment for a week due to huge, noisy fans drying the walls. Rather than complain, I chose to wait until the lease discussion occurred.  I’m pleased with the result of the lease negotiation.  

 

If the tape wasn’t enough to upset some geezers, they’ve latched onto a new cause.  A woman living on the fourth floor has proudly displayed her American flag from her balcony for at least a year.  After strong winds, the flag and pole have fallen onto the sidewalk at least twice this past year.  Both times it occurred to me that it could fall on someone and seriously hurt them.  Every day I pass under the flag worries me a little. Still, I never mentioned it as a safety hazard to management. 

 

The flag's owner posted her fury on the residents’ Facebook page after she received a notice to remove it.  Several residents responded to her post by expressing anger.  They felt it was un-American to ask it to be removed. They believe we should hang whatever we want on our patios.  I had to chime in on the conversation and point out that the flag was potentially dangerous if it fell again.  The flag owner commented that I should come to her if I had an issue. Get real. I responded with a laughing emoji.  After that exchange, I, of course, immediately went to management.  I suppose the residents haven’t grasped that they don’t own the building and the owners make the rules.  Most of us sold our homes to live here, so maybe it’s a lack of understanding of home ownership versus renting.  However, I really think it’s just another opportunity to complain.  This place is their whole world, and the toddler attitude amongst some of them is, ‘I have a right to throw a fit if it isn’t perfect’!  We indeed regress with age!

 

The flag controversy reminded me of the humongous American flag at Mar-a-Lago.  When I lived in a condo in Palm Beach County eight years ago, I had a front-row view of the flag that Trump refused to remove or lower.  The city of Palm Beach had an ordinance that flagpoles should be at a certain height and not taller.  In his usual defiant behavior and belief that rules or laws don’t apply to him, Trump still flies the flag.  Although he’s received fines for over ten years, I’m confident he doesn’t pay the fines.

 

I draw this analogy due to the attitude of a small group of geezers here.  Rules don’t apply to them.  The building owner’s attempt to maintain safety is met with complaints.  Complaints about the pool being out of service due to electrical issues, and ditto with the hot tub. They do not understand that the owners will be liable if someone is hurt due to negligence and that management has no control over when parts are available and when inspectors appear.

 

And that’s why I’ve renamed the Geezer Apartments “Little Mar-a-Lago at  Fallingbrick.” (Fallingbrick is a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, and Little Mar-a-Lago is a middle finger to Trump.)