Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
The island
lighter:
So, the flight attendant on Toronto leg saw pics of island and commented. Turns out she's from town where I was born AND she wants to go to island on vacation with work mates.
I told her I'll give her a deal BUT she has to gently point out problems, then give me a good review. She's way on board, and ready to refer tons of travelers asking her where she goes!
Seemed like fate.
Now I have to finish website, and get this airbnb show on the road.
Lighter
lighter:
Handyman finished putting up kitchen ceiling fan, re building sectional sofa, and installing sun shade awnings over back patio, and space between cottage and guest house. I sent money yesterday, sans 200.00 to weed eat yard twice a month.
The "renter" asked for the keys to the sea can so he can weed eat the yard. The thing is, he never takes care of the yard, but has access to all tools, which he sometimes keeps in his house, which I have no keys to.
THIS IS A PROBLEM, and I don't trust him to do the yard work. Renters are about to begin arriving, and the yard needs to be kept up.
This means I
1. Reassure renter I trust him, but find he's not been reliable enough to keep keys. His sister will be that person going forward, and that will have to be that.
2. If he wants to continue staying at the guest house he needs to keep the beach clean of pine needles, the drive clear of garbage, and for goodness sake THE SPACE AROUND THE HOUSE clean of garbage. Sometimes it looks like HE's the one littering around his space. It's cultural, not just him, so that means the road is littered... disgusting. The beach always has stuff washing up, sometimes cool stuff, but mostly water bottles, and flip flop sort of stuff. It's not beautiful. It robs the beach of it's pristine glory. It's a problem.
So, that means I'm 200.00 in the hole, along with the high electricity bill, and he's not paying rent, which honestly, he should be doing.
I don't want him to get his feelings hurt to the point of doing something stupid. He USED to have all the keys, and access to tools, and that's changing. I have to figure out how much of a change. I mean, he used to pay rent too, but fell behind, and seems to never have money, sometimes not enough to have minutes on his phone, or to help with his mother's health bills, etc.
This is worrisome bc it costs him nothing to live.
I have to figure this out, today, and phone him.
The good news is I met a flight attendant on the way to Toronto who's from my little town in Ohio. We clicked, and she loves the cottage... is planning to go in September with friends, give me a good reveiw, and a list of things that need improvement as she sees them.
I'll give her a deal, and she'll send folks she meets on flights... they ask her where she goes, and where they should go. She thinks she'll send me tons of people, and I'm hopeful. If she goes in the fall the bugs will be better, and it won't be so darned hot. All seems lined up as well as it can be, IMO.
Once the electric grid is back up consistently, S (housekeeper), will be offering homecooked meals, and cocktails to guests as an option. I think she's great, and I love her majestic stature... she's a true Amazon, with lots of experience, and I don't think anyone's going to mess with her. A woman who commands respect, and gets the job done is a glorious thing to behold.
She also lives just up the street, and passes by the cottage at least twice daily. Will be close by in bad weather, which is important. I feel pretty good about this.
Now, to deal with her little brother.
Lighter
Twoapenny:
The flight attendant and housekeeper sound great, Lighter, the brother, not so much! I hope you are able to find a way to deal with him. Has his sister got any nuggets of wisdom where he's concerned or does he perplex her in the same way? Great to hear that you've got so much done there and that the end is on the horizon xx
lighter:
Sister seems to be the kind who jumps in, and does things herself... to MAKE them OK.
I haven't discussed her brother, beyond NOT giving him keys to the cottage again. I told her "just you" have keys to the cottage now, and she looked perplexed about that.
I'm not sure about honest discussions around her brother's short comings. I can 100 ways for that to go badly.
I'm more interested in problem solving, and going forward with solutions.
Like..... telling her little brother needs to do A, B and C every week, and particularly before guests arrive, so the Airbnb is successful for us all. He can't keep up with trash and beach cleaning if he lets it slide for weeks. It just gets too big a job, and he does other jobs as a priority.
If his sister tells him, weekly, and holds his feet to the fire... maybe things will be OK.
I have anxiety around this, and will do some work around it before making decisions.
Hopalong:
Lighter, would a little web cam or two help you feel more on top of how well he's performing the job?
Likewise, can you make clear that pay comes after such inspection of results, not automaticallly?
Hops
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