Good News from Dr. Schwartz

Monday July 6, 1992

We're up and doing wash, etc, so we can leave at 12 p.m. to go to Ward's for parts, then Gledhill to pick up rent and see the new baby. She's so tiny at 4 lbs 12 oz. They only have part of the rent. We meet Laura's mom. The dog Sophie is expecting pups again soon. They will keep them outside this time. Good!

Off from there to see Dr. Schwartz. He does a complete exam. He hurts me pushing and prodding to feel the tumors. My white blood count is up to 4.6. Best in a long time! He says he'll see me in a month. Good!

Frank had taken Justin to the library this morning. He got 4 books. He finished one before we got to the doctor. Justin swims and eats with Maria and boys. We eat out at Acapulco.

Chemotherapy stresses the immune system, thus reducing the white blood cell count. This is probably why Mom had a hard time getting over her summer cold. But now she is feeling better and her numbers reflect that.

Mom instilled in my brother and I a love of reading. She would take us to the library in Panorama City every two weeks to check out 10 books. I have always loved to read, and Justin does too. For two weeks every summer Justin flew down to visit Mom and Frank and she devoted herself to him during those visits. This year looks to be a bit different, as Justin spends a bit more time with my brother Gary and his family. Gary and Maria have two sons just a little bit older than Justin, and they had a great time swimming in Gary's pool. Not much fun to drag Justin along to rental houses and doctor appointments.

Skiing at Mountain High

Tuesday January 28, 1992

Frank is up and gone by 6 a.m. to go skiing at Mountain High with Phillip. Good, he's getting away for a day. Has been confined too long. I'm sure they will have a good time.

I meet the appraiser at Gledhill in Sepulveda at 11:30 a.m. Then I have lunch at Bakers Square. I bring half my lunch home for dinner.

I see Gary's realtor, Kim King, and she gives me the only 5 houses in the San Fernando Valley with comparable features and price, to the house in Simi. I drive by the 2 in Sepulveda. They are small and terrible looking. I come home and go with the realtor to see inside the Emerald house. It's perfect for Gary. Needs paint and carpet.

Whoa! Frank had a quick overnight recovery from his cold! The night before he was too sick for square dancing. Nice to spend the day with his oldest son Phillip.

Good strategy to bring home half your lunch for dinner, Mom. That way you get to enjoy it twice.

Mom is certainly doing alot of legwork for Gary, checking out houses for him in both Simi Valley and the San Fernando Valley.

Refinancing Real Estate

Tuesday January 14, 1992

We're up but both feeling tired and run down all day. At 10 a.m. we meet John of Aras Mortgage in Reseda to refinance Gledhill and pay off Lemona and SanWa Bank (trailer) That goes well. We go to Van Nuys, have car washed and eat a Tommy's hamburger. Finally home after some shopping we relax, have dinner and leave for 7 p.m. class in North Hollywood for country western dancing. It's fun. Afterward we all go to Baker Square for dessert.

I'm desperate to lose 40 pounds, but keep giving in to temptation. No will power. I hate the way I look. I really need to lose alot before our cruise April 5 to Carribean.

Being more overweight than Mom, I'm not the best person to judge her eating habits, but I know for myself, eating out always causes me to consume more calories in general than eating at home. As I have said in earlier posts, I notice that Mom and Frank eat out on average two times per day, so besides the added expense, they are probably consuming more calories than they would eating at home. Frank has never had a weight problem at all, but Mom (and I) battled her weight since her 30s. I'm sure they are burning calories on the nights they go square dancing, but then they put them right back on when they go to Hudson's Grill, or some other restaurant, afterwards with their friends.

Interesting that this night they went country western dancing instead of square dancing. As far as I know this is the first time they have tried country western.

I'm not sure why Mom wanted to refinance the mortgages on her two rental houses. Perhaps is was some kind of estate planning. Perhaps she thought interest rates were down and it was a good time. As you can see from the interest rate chart above, mortgage interest rates in 1992 were just above 8%. Since this was a rental house, she may have gotten a mortgage rate around 8.5% Since Mom did not have a crystal ball, she didn't know that interest rates would continue to drop from the high rates of the early 1980s.

Rental Woes

Tuesday September 3, 1991

Bad news for Frank. He is over at Gledhill house tearing out sidewalk to reach a leaking pipe underground beside the house. I meet him over there with his lunch. Later we go to Lemona where I water the yard. A friend of Frank's comes to check out the wall heater that's not working. Phil comes to replace the water meter at the same time. The dishwasher at Gledhill is working well. Frank did a good job of fixing it.

We head home a little earlier, 5 p.m. Tomorrow is chemo so that will kill the afternoon and evening.

This is the first time I have discovered that Mom made two entries on the same day. Odd.

Frank may have retired from the City of Los Angeles Parks and Rec Dept earlier that year, but you never get to retire from being a landlord. Mom and Frank had 4 rentals, the one on Lemona that I grew up in, the one on Gledhill Mom bought for her residence before she and Frank got married, one that Mom bought in Simi Valley before the marriage, and the one in Newbury Park that Frank owned as his residence before the marriage. When they married in 1982 they bought a big beautiful house in Simi Valley together. My husband Ric and I have 9 rentals and manage 6 more for my mother-in-law. Between the 15 rentals, there is always a sewer to unplug, a defective water heater or other appliance to repair or replace, or a vacancy to rent. Last year was a record: we had 6 turnovers in 2010! In addition, there are almost always delinquent tenants to deal with, which can be quite stressful, especially if it becomes necessary to do the unlawful detainer process.

Just as I was retiring from Pacific Gas & Electric, the housing market began a long downhill dive, and we have lost most of our equity. We are hoping the market will recover in the next 5 years, so we can start to sell, which was always the plan for my retirement. In the meantime, it is hard to travel or even be away for a weekend, as there is always a rental problem to deal with. So for now, with 2 teenagers at home and 15 houses to manage, we take short trips here and there, mostly to Lake Tahoe, where we can be home in 4 hours if necessary.

Last Entry in Journal #1 (5 more to go)

Saturday August 17, 1991

No walk again today. Spent the day at Gledhill and Lemona showing and cleaning. Hurried home at 5 p.m. to make chicken drumettes for square dance tonight. Our Boots & Slippers anniversary (32nd) dance. Danced pretty well. Then went out to IHOP for dessert with the group of 10.

Bed at 12:30 a.m.

This is Mom's last entry in Journal #1 (out of 6). Journal #1 began on April 11 and takes us through August 17, 1991. Reading her journal has brought back many good memories. I am struck by how much Mom wants to keep her life as normal as possible. She wants to spend time with her children and her grandchildren, but this is how she always was, even before her cancer diagnosis. She wants to enjoy her friends and her life like it is a great adventure. Look at the last sentence, bed at 12:30! I haven't stayed up past midnight for years! Mom wanted to enjoy every minute with friends before falling into bed exhausted. It makes me wonder though if her exhaustion kept her immune system as strong as it could have been.

Back Pain

Friday August 16, 1991

Frank's up early and off to leave the key for the gas man at Lemona and then on to Gledhill to work on the dishwasher some more. Several people stop to see the house.

I clean the linens from Sara and Joey and remake the room before I leave for errands, shopping and Gledhill. I pick up lunch for us and then go pick up parts for Frank. At Lemona I take down the drapes--filthy!

I worry--so much to do and I want to help, but just a little bending or strain puts my back in such pain, I'm afraid. But Frank can't do it alone!

After dinner we go to see Layne and Phil's new house in Moorpark. It's very nice!

I can relate to the back pain, Mom. I herniated my disk between the L4-L5 vertebrae in 2008 and had surgery in September of that year to trim the disk. The surgery helped, but the pain is always there, and doing any bending or lifting definitely aggravates it. Other than headache, it is the most common type of pain in the United States. It affects 80% of Americans at some time in their lives. Mom also suffered from knee pain and shoulder pain at different times of her life. None of this is related to the cancer.

It's a good thing Frank retired from the City of Los Angeles Parks Department when Mom was diagnosed with cancer. Working on rentals can be a full time job, especially when more than one is empty at a time. At this time, Mom and Frank are working on two vacancies. In 2010 we had six vacancies.

Another Vacancy

Monday August 12, 1991

We're awake at 7:20. We're naughty and have chocolate muffins for breakfast. We compensate by taking the dogs on a 70 minute walk, taking a new route, which pleases Frank. He likes seeing something new. We enjoy the walk and it feels good physically to both of us.

After lunch and laundry we head for the valley to check out Lemona house. It is worse than we expected and needs much cleaning and repair. It will not be ready to show this weekend after all. Change the ad.

We finish repairs at Gledhill, meet the dishwasher repairman and a possible tenant.

After dinner we head for North Hollywood to square dance with our friends. We go out to Baker's Square afterwards. We surprise ourselves and do pretty well at dancing after so long not dancing.

It was alot of work managing four rental houses, and you don't get sick time from being a landlord. There are still repairs to do, tenants to deal with, rent to collect, vacancies to take care of. After mom passed away, my brother Gary and I inherited 3 of the rental houses and sold them shortly thereafter. It takes someone with lots of time, patience and a variety of handyman skills to be a landlord. Even though we manage 15 rental houses in Sonoma County, it was just too difficult to manage these from 400 miles away and my brother was not interested in becoming a landlord.

I'm glad to see Mom and Frank went out walking. Hiking the regional parks where we live in Windsor is one of my favorite pasttimes. There is nothing as invigorating as enjoying God's creation and breathing fresh air.

The Ambergrove Court House

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Saturday August 10, 1991

We take our walk before Frank heads for the valley. He also helps the neighbors fix some sprinklers. We are getting lots of calls on the house for rent. We spend the evening at home, too tired to go square dancing tonight.

I can relate! Ric and I manage 9 rental houses of our own plus 6 more for my mother-in-law. There is always something to repair or replace, and a couple times every year there is a turnover. Running ads, showing the house to prospective tenants, taking applications, phone calls, preparing lease agreements....We did that 6 times in 2010, a record number of turnovers, with a record number of rental expenses as well!

Home is their beautiful spacious 2-story place in Simi Valley. The link above shows a current photo. It looks like the current owner has added a swimming pool in the backyard. Frank stayed in the house for several years after Mom passed, but now he lives in a retirement community with his new wife Carol in Lincoln, California. Keeping up the yard at the Simi Valley house was a full-time job!

The Gledhill House

Thursday August 8, 1991

Woke up at 8:00 and off for a walk with the dogs. The walk feels good. I have plenty of energy and legs hold up well. My back has stopped aching. It bothered me alot Monday and some Tuesday. Actually I feel very well physically. My aching joints are alot better and so are my knees. I've lost 2 of the 5 pounds I gained last week on the cruise.

We work at the Gledhill house most of the day. It is ready to show when we leave. The ad comes out tomorrow--For Rent $1095/month.

We're too tired to go square dancing again tonight. We get another movie to watch. First we watch our Alaska video. It's pretty good.

Wow, Mom, that's not bad to only gain 5 pounds after eating 2 desserts after dinner every night and 1-2 after lunch. And good for you for getting out there walking right after your chemo. Glad you are feeling up to it.

As I mentioned on the previous post, the Gledhill house is the house mom lived in after I moved to Santa Rosa in 1974 and before she and Frank got married in 1982. Here is a link to Google maps. This house was a little larger than the Lemona house (3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1700 square feet compared to 1300 square feet at Lemona). It was a ranch style home built in 1959. When she and Frank bought their house together in Simi Valley in 1982 it must have seemed like a mansion. It was 2645 square feet on a 13,000+ square foot lot.


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The Lemona House

Wednesday August 7, 1991

I feel listless all day. No energy. About 5 p.m. I start to feel more normal, but am ready for bed at 11 when we finish watching a movie.

I have my nails done and do my marketing in spite of the lack of energy.

Frank spends most of the day working on a leak at the Lemona house and checking out Gledhill house which is empty now.

Mom does not allow herself any "down time". Even the day after chemo, she is running errands.

The Lemona house in Mission Hills is the house I grew up in from 1954 until 1974. It seemed like a mansion to me and the yard seemed huge. The house was a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house, but only 1300 square feet. The lot was 8680 square feet. I compared this on Zillow.com to the house I live in now, which is also 4 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, but 2855 square feet with a lot size of 10,000 square feet. That makes this lot a bit larger, but the house more than twice the size! Our standard of living certainly has increased since the 1950s. Also, according to Zillow, that same house on Lemona is now a 6 bedroom, 3 bath home of 2498 square feet. Some owner in the past few decades almost doubled the square footage!

When I moved to Santa Rosa, California, in 1974 Mom lived in the Lemona house for a few more years after I left and then bought the house on Gledhill in North Hills, California. The Lemona house became a rental at that time. When she and Frank married in 1982, the Gledhill house became a rental as well. My brother and I inherited both of these houses as well as one more rental she owned, when she passed away.


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The Dodgers Win

Sunday July 7, 1991

We're up early to meet Gary and Maria at her mom's house at 11:30 where we leave from for the Dodgers baseball game. Gary treats us all. We pig out on pizza. Justin buys shirts and cards. Luckily the Dodgers win.

It's very hot sitting in the sun. I wear a big straw hat and keep a napkin over my bare legs. We are tired from vacation and ready to stay home. It's good to get home.

But first we must stop at Lemona and Gledhill (their rental houses) to check with tenants planning to move soon. So we visit with Joan and Hal (neighbors on Lemona Street) and Marty and Cathy and girls. Everyone is pleased to see Justin. We eat dinner at Millie's.

Oh my goodness, does mom ever slow down? They just got home from a week in the blistering heat, and here they are off again to a baseball game. Perhaps it's because her beloved grandson Justin (my son) was down for his annual visit and she wanted to keep him entertained. My sister-in-law Maria grew up in a small 2-bedroom 1 bath house in Los Angeles very close to Dodger Stadium with her parents and 8 brothers and sisters. Although Maria's mom passed away from cancer a year after mine, her dad still lives in the same house.

The rental house on Lemona is the house I grew up in. My parents bought that house for $12,000 in 1954 and I spent my entire life there until I moved to Santa Rosa in Northern California in 1974. When she and Frank married in 1982 they bought a house in Simi Valley and turned the Lemona house as well as another house she lived in after I moved out, which was the one on Gledhill, both of which were in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, into rental houses. When she passed away my brother Gary and I sold the rental houses. It was sad parting with not only my mom but the house that held so many great memories of my childhood.

Marty and Cathy Murphy are the friends who did not show up at Lake Don Pedro as expected. She writes about it on her entry for July 4. Interesting that she does not say here why they failed to show up?