The Marvel House

Thursday June 4, 1992

I'm feeling fine except for the occasional pains in my lower abdomen where the 2 new tumors are. I've decided to wait until Sunday night to start my new chemo pills. I don't want to risk feeling ill until Monday. Hopefully, the medicine won't make me sick.

I spend the day shopping for a dress to wear tomorrow to Gary's wedding. I end up at the big lady shop. I hate the look of these clothes on me. They all look the same, not flattering at all. I finally buy one for Frank's consideration.

I check on Frank at the Marvel house. The carpets are cleaned today. The new drapes will be hung tomorrow and the new kitchen floor Frank's laying and the house will look lovely.

I only saw the Marvel house once when Mom took me to the rental house while I was down in Simi Valley visiting her and Frank. It was 25 years ago and my memory is not so good, but I think it looked like the one pictured above. Once again Frank is working hard on a rental house every spare moment. Ric and I are in the same situation right now after evicting our tenant who lived in the house on Wellington where Ric and I lived when Mom and Frank visited in May 1992. This was our residence for 9 years so it has lots of good memories of our boys growing up there. We finally got the house back from our tenant a few weeks ago after our third attempt to evict him in the courts. He owed 14 months rent, over $28,000! It breaks my heart to see the house in such a state of decline. The yard is overgrown, weeds are everywhere. The upstairs toilet overflowed after being plugged up and our tenants never bothered to call us or to have it fixed. The upstairs shower leaked through the ceiling into the family room below and the sheetrock is moldy. Shortly after Ric and I bought the house in May 1992, we bought a spa and gazebo for the backyard, and about the time that Mom is writing this entry in her journal, I am spending the last month of my pregnancy in this spa. It felt so good to take the pressure off my huge belly and the cool water (we kept it at 96 degrees) felt good when it was so hot outside in June and July 1992. 20 years later the gazebo has fallen down and lies on the ground in broken pieces. The spa is full of black rainwater that has accumulated over the years and no one bothered to empty it. The mosquitos must be horrendous in the summer! Getting this house ready for a new tenant seems like an overwhelming proposition, but we have spent every spare moment there for 3 weeks slowly chipping away at the mess. Being a landlord is not fun at all; it is alot of work and alot of frustration.

As for shopping in the big lady shop, I can relate. For many years I had to shop in the Women's Department. Everything made me look as big as a house. Several years ago I lost 40 pounds and was finally able to shop in the Misses Department, just barely (size 18), but at least the clothes are attractive. Still I don't like the way I look in those dressing room mirrors so I haven't been shopping for clothes in years. I'm still waiting to lose another 50 pounds.