We Still Haven't Heard The Last of Ruth

I thought that when the estate sale was over (two weeks ago now), I'd be free. But, it was really just the beginning of an extended nightmare. No idea how it will all end. I keep reminding myself that these are petty annoyances, yes, they might end up costing a little money, but it's not life or death.

Tell that to my heart when I wake up in the middle of the night, anxious beyond logic. The middle of the night nerves of adulthood are just like the monster under the bed when I was little, reality isn't represented but I'm still scared.

The homeowner's association has demanded that we be present at a hearing, stating that we have broken a rule. Evidently they think that having an Estate Sale is against one of their rules. I don't know how or why a person in the United States can't do something that is not illegal within the walls of his or her own home. It seems a little like our freedom is being denied. Since we aren't the owners of the house and we don't have the rule book, we aren't going to attend. They will not send us the regulations so we really aren't sure where we stand, but we aren't going to drive to San Diego to sit in front of a group of like-minded homeowners.

But, the most stressful part of the Estate Sale is still Ruth and her gang. The sale is over, the house has been renovated, it is already on the market. Ruth mailed a check from the sale proceeds along with a key to the house and some credit cards to us. When they didn't arrive, we started to look for the package. The post office says they delivered it. But, not to our house. We searched the neighborhood, actually going door-to-door. Terry went to three post offices. We talked to our normal mail carrier who was off on the day the package was delivered. The mailman of the day was a temp. He has no idea where he left the package. All I know is that 6 -7 of my parents' credit cards, all the receipts from the sale, a key to the house and a check are missing. We discovered the problem on Wednesday. It's now Monday. Ruth has finally organized and is sending out a new check today. But, it's a holiday. And, lo!, they didn't put the key in the missing package, they found it on someone's desk. So, now all I have to do is wait for the new package and cancel or change all the credit cards. Of course, since they didn't keep a copy of the cards, I don't know which ones they are.

Was it a good idea to have an Estate Sale, yes. I would do it again. Maybe.