Thursday, March 18, 2010

Just Make Lemonade

It's happened again - for the third time in the past five years, crackheads have burned down another one of my rental properties.
During the freezing Winter nights, I traditionally leave one or two homes vacant so the homeless and indigent can have a warm and safe place to stay.
But as with most years, someone gets a bit too comfortable and a bit too careless and ultimately they burn down the home which has sheltered them during freezing Winter storms at no cost to them.

But this year is different.
This year I've become too jaded to offer free or reduced priced housing.
This year I was clearing land in an attempt to build an urban garden.
I'd read posts by SeeNew, FreeMan, and ed which outlined the basics in setup maintenance and governance of such a concept.
I'd moved all of my elderly tenants (Except one - who happened to die just last week) to government housing complexes.
I was in the middle of negotiations with cousins to trade some of their vacant lots for some of my lots with homes on them in order to have a contiguous four-plus acres of plantable land.
I was planning on going through the eviction process to clear the three homes in this area for such an undertaking.

Upon seeing me with a grim on my face as three units were going up in smoke, "Did you light this fire?", a policeman asked.
I hadn't - but I was just happy to see this "slumlord" chapter of my Beaumont adventure end.
I was excited to not have to pay someone to cut and plow under century old trees.
I was happy that I didn't have to evict anyone.
I was happy that I had shepherded every elderly or needy tenant to a better place or until death.

As I explained my future plans for the property to a local resident (Whom I'd helped a great many times in my ten-plus years trying to rehabilitate this hood.), "That's why you doin' bad now", is all she could say.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe her generation was lost to the influences of her environment.
Maybe I should just focus on the next generation.

So what's the plan for this acreage?
-Drill a well to water any gardens which residents may plant.
-Form as many 8x16 railroad tie planting beds as the property will allow.
-Try to form alliances with a local fraternity and an elementary school to allow the children to grow and maintain the micro-farm.
The fraternity could use this as one of their philanthropic requirements while building relationships with kids from the hood. (Thanks for the idea ed.)
-Allow the children from the neighborhood school to have a seasonal Farmer's Market to sell their produce as a means to supplement their school's budgetary needs. (Really, this does more symbolic good than financial but the children will (hopefully) learn that they are a part of the neighboring community.

Does it suck to see ones homes burn to the ground?
Sure, but think about the future possibilities...

9 comments:

CareyCarey said...

Well UBJ, you have what many others only talk about. You have the vision to look on the bright side of what may seem like a bad adventure.

I Once took in a family (one of my rental properties) that had little money and no place to stay. Everyone told me not to do it because they had a history (drugs and destroying property). But I knew the dude and wanted to help. Well, within days, there was 4 families living in this small home... sons, grandbabies, neices and nephews. At that time (although I had money) I was still in my own storm. Unlike you, I planned to burn down my property(using them as an excuse "they did it"). I was done with the whole landlord/slumlord thang.

uglyblackjohn said...

My grandparents used to burn down homes to evict tenants and collect insurance.
But I'm pretty much done with it too.
I only have a few homes left.
While I'm sick of the adults - maybe there is still hope for the kids.

FreeMan said...

Welp I guess you don't have to knock them down. All things come to an end and since you never did want to turn into a landlord anyway it came to it's natural end. I myself sometimes want my company to wrap up so I can go full fledge into my next venture. Sometimes it's hard to walk away from money even when it's a hassle.

I look forward to you building the micro-farm. Ish I might fly to Houston to see my brother and drive to your part to say who is the crazy MFer with the micro farm and all the people will point you out. LOL

There's a saying in my family. The end is the end and there's nothing you can do about it whether good or bad. I think for you it's a good thing.

Anna Renee said...

Brother, you did what you could and it was helpful. The microfarm sounds really good! Onward!

CNu said...

While I'm sick of the adults - maybe there is still hope for the kids.

Children are truth.

Accept no substitutes...,

Mr. Noface said...

Blessings in disguise indeed. A thing about adults is that we can get pretty set in our ways (good or bad), but Whitney Houston was right about them kids.

uglyblackjohn said...

@ FreeMan - You might have to ask about the guy who "works at" the microfarm (sometimes).
I don't want anyone to know that it's my thing.
But it will pobably take a year for the thing to work out - I gotta' make sure I do it right and with lasting effects.

FreeMan said...

No problem I'll just ask where is the micro-farm period. Then I'll put up a picture of the Klumps on the fence so you know I was there.

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I remember when the house next to the mine burned one afternoon,so I think that It is one of the most terrible situstion in any life.