Ballroom Blitz

March means "Spring Blitz" in the environment. The P's version of spring cleaning, spring maintenance and annual projects rolled into a 10-14 day period, usually while they are on spring break.

In 10 days, I had 12-14 vendors with 20 or so people on the property. Here's a sample of what we did:
Sand and refinish the floors in 2 rooms
Steam clean all curtains & carpets
Deep clean each room (move all furniture, sweep/vacuum, wipe down walls, scrub, scrub, scrub)
Clean all bedding
Clean all windows (inside & out) (There's over 100 windows, BIG JOB!)
Caulk & paint entire master bedroom suite
Caulk & paint foyer
Repair driveway gates
Replace sprinkler control panels
Replace storm windows for screens on most windows
Tune-up all vehicles
Tune-up boilers (3) & A/C units (5)
Repair dryer (again, and it's still not working!)
Send out art piece for minor framing restoration

So, that is a part of Spring Blitz. Of course, there is still a ton to do to get a property this size ready for the summer season. My Wednesdays are packed for the next few weeks with outdoor painting and repair projects.

The Ps gave me 4 stars out of 5. Next year, it should go easier.

Title by: The Sweet

Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.

Vendors are only allowed in the environment on Wednesdays. It is a privacy thing for the Ps. This means that Wednesdays turn out to be coordinated chaos.

There are usually 3 or 4 vendors on the property, plus the normal maintenance crews for the tennis court, pool and lawn. Wednesdays sometimes remind me of software deployment weekends at Manpower. Or, like running downhill. You cannot really slow down and there is the nagging fear that your head will get ahead of your feet.

On a completely different note, the ticks here are thick as ants! They are everywhere. I'll have to get the property sprayed here before long. We are on a nightly tick check for the Ts and Luci. I just plucked one off of the wall. It was sitting there, like a spider. Unbelievable.

Title by: Simon & Garfunkel

Yes I Am

I've been brooding over this post for a couple of months. Well, a month anyway. I have probably already attested that this entire experience has been a test for everyone from the Ts to grandparents, friends, associates, etc.

However, I believe the person that was pushed the hardest was ma cherè. She was a single Mom for three-quarters of a year. She did it with a cool efficiency; however, not without harboring a level of resentment.

My half was perhaps the riskier side of the equation, lots of unknowns. Will the school be easy or hard? Will I get a job in the field with no experience? Where will I end up? What will the principals be like? Will I be able to handle the responsibilities, the hours, the staff, the contractors...? Some unknowns were exciting, most were the mundane things of everyday.

Ma cherè, on the other hand, had all the "heavy lifting". We knew what her day/nights/weekends would be like. It is the routine of a middle-class family. We thought we understood what she was in for. Unfortunately, we seriously underestimated what it would take for her to pull it off alone. Frankly, we underestimated both our roles.

Thank goodness we know how to communicate. It might not always be pretty. It certainly is painful, but the results make the trial worth it. I had to promise not to remind her "I do that for a living, you know." She let go of the thought that I was drinking Dom Perignon poolside every night. (Just on weekends...I swear).

Title by: Radiohead

Mulberry Bush

In order to cover the general basics, the family is doing well. It is a tease to leave it like that, I know. Check back the next few days as I fill in the details.

When I mentioned that the house was cleaned and ready for the family's arrival, I did not mention that it took 2 days of my cleaning just to get the kitchen and 2 bathrooms decent enough to use. I was very frustrated that anyone could live in that kind of mess, much less leave it for the next tenant. I spent 8-10 hours just cleaning the cabinets, drawers and doors in the kitchen. It was like reliving the days leading up to moving into our townhouse (which is still for sale - by the way).

Ma cherè later discovered that it was an older couple that were living there. She thought it was a sad testament that there are people that might not be able to see that there is filth in the kitchen. What kind of medical issues might be avoided for the elderly if someone were to really clean their kitchens and bathrooms once a week?

Title by: Traditional English

Ironic

A few years ago, I worked for a spectacular organization, Strong Capital Management. Strong's iconic leader was Richard Strong. Mr. Strong's attitude was hire and retain the best and that is what we had at Strong. He was a good fund manager who dreamed big.

Mr. Strong was one of a few fund managers that came under the "ethical" eye of then New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. Mr. Strong admitted, albeit reluctantly, and apologized for the unethical practice of . The case was later settled. He was the only company leader that stepped up and took the heat personally.

Thank you, Dick. Karma was on your side after all.

Title by: Alanis Morissette

Highland Laddie

One of my central roles is managing vendors. I am, generally, responsible for finding two or three vendors for a given project; getting estimates and references; and, making sure the work is done at the appropriate level of professionalism.

We recently had the floors done in the Hamptons. The company uses the new "dustless" system. While it was not dust free, there was a fine powder on most flat surfaces. However, it was a quick cleanup and was limited to just where the floors were done.

Why is it that as customers we have to force contractors to complete a job? The workmanship was sloppy. Stain and poly-coat left on base boards and stair risers. The sander apparently brushed up against the base boards leaving grooves. They could not keep to promised time frames, like showing up at 3 PM for an 8 AM to 9 AM window. They sent 1 guy back to move the furniture, 1 hour late (of course).

My complaints were at first met with shock. "But, look at how good the floors look." As if, after the pilot dumps the plane in the ocean, the airlines gets to say, "But look at how smooth the flight was." The best was, "You should just plan on the contractor showing up an hour later than they say." No accountability, no ownership.

I used a line from the Ps play book. "If you provide a less than perfect job, I'll provide a less than perfect check." I finally got their attention with that. They came back and cleaned up most of the mess. I still have some touch-up painting to do.

The floors look great.

Title by: Burl Ives

Reunited

It has been a while, once again, between posts. I have been writing down ideas and thoughts; I just have been too busy to clean them up enough for posting. I am still too much of a stickler to just throw out unedited copy. That said, there will be some retro-active posts in the next few days as I clean out my archive of saved ideas.

If you missed the latest news, Ma cherè and the Ts are now living on Long Island. We took a lease on a house near what locals call the North Fork. The house is basically in the middle of farms and vineyards, but still only 5-10 "winter minutes" from the grocery stores and the ubiquitous "Big Box Row".

The house was mostly cleaned before the arrival. We spent the first few days on blow up mattresses and sitting on pillows. The furniture arrived last Monday. The Ts started school early last week. I've gotten over my first bout of bugs from the Ts. (I got sick every time I went home or they came East. Talk about "feeling the love". ;-))

More later.

Title by: Peaches & Herb