Landlord blues . . .

Ok, yeah. My landlord was out of town when the rent was due, so I left a check and a notice to vacate in the usual spot. When he got back, he said something like, "So you're leaving, huh?" I said yes. He said, "I sure wish you would have paid me the extra $50. First I said that we hadn't signed the contract. I don't think that was the right thing to say. Then, I said something about thirty days notice for a raise in rent. He kind of walked off in a huff. I yelled to him to take it off my deposit.

The whole episode upset me. On my drive to Durango to go square dancing, I thought about it a lot. I kept thinking that *I* was in the right. Then, I heard my Mom's words . . . don't be dead right. When she said that the first time . . . I was learning to drive and I didn't slow down or even look at an intersection because I didn't have a stop sign. She said not to be dead right. In a car, it's appropriate. In this situation, it was just a message from her that I got loud and clear. I realized that my landlord and I had a good [landlord/tenant] relationship for the past two years, and it would be stupid to ruin it for fifty dollars . . . even if I was right.

So, the following morning when I saw him outside, I went out there and offered him the check. He refused to take it. I told him that I looked it up on the internet and I could give him the links. He said he doesn't have the time or the inclination. Ok, what could I say. I went back inside and tried to research some more. I found out there is a Colorado law that a landlord only needs to give ten days notice before the following month's rent is due. He still didn't give me enough notice . . . only seven days. Then, I called several rental agencies in Durango and they said that they give thirty days notice as a courtesy.

I know that when I moved in here I had a mad crush on this guy. And as the Garth Brooks song goes . . . thank God for unanswered prayers! The guy is a jerk. What can I say? When I lived in Bar Harbor many years ago, I lived in a small apartment over someone's garage. Doug lived with his family in the main house. They basically treated me like family . . . always invited me to holiday affairs, and when my Mom came into town, they had both of us over for dinner. Maybe Doug and his family were exceptional . . . I don't know. But, this landlord has never been like that. He just does his own thing and pretty much ignores me. If I'm home alone for the holidays, he never says a thing. Oh, well. I'm outa here. In about three weeks, anyway.