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Uncertain Times

© Katherine E. Rabenau

Well, perilous times continue here in the middle of nowhere. My home remains in terrible jeapardy. Crazy landlady - after hanging up on me and on a mediator - has now issued LEGAL letters to terminate our residence here, so I have until the end of April plus however long it takes to go through an eviction process. (Alas, not that long here in the boonies.) I really don't know why this is happening. I'm sure there is some divine purpose in it, lots of great spiritual and life lessons. And I have learned some things. Good things and less good things. There really ARE no laws protecting tenants in Sullivan County New York. Unlike the city, where a landlord must offer you renewal of a lease, there is no such rule here. Unlike the city, where there must be some reason for evicting someone, in Sullivan County, New York, it can be done on a whim. So, Crazy Landlady is within her rights to turn my life (and my neighbor's life) upside down even though I am a quiet, peaceful tenant who pays her rent on time. There are no rules and no protections except that she does have to evict us legally... through a court order. Pretty depressing.

On the up side of things, is the fact that I have started to look for a house of my own. Really look. Called a bank about a mortgage and everything. Trying to get discounted mortgage but that doesn't look like it will buy the house I want. The first place I tried will only give me about half of what I need. Am waiting to hear from the bank about what they would let me borrow. It's a strange paradox that I don't really have enough money to buy a house yet it will cost me more (or the same anyway) to move and rent again. At least if I am paying for a mortage, I'm accruing something to myself and I have a different kind of security. How much scarier can it get for an agoraphobic than to be driven out of her home? And this is the third time since I have moved to Sullivan County that I have had to deal with craziness. Something about the lack of legal protection for renters that brings out the worst in people, it seems. Something about me that draws me to crazy people... or them to me.

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