Category Archives: VA

Occupied: Day 58 The Light at the end of the Tunnel

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I almost felt sorry for the Legal Aid lawyer. As she cross-examined me during our Jan. 5 eviction hearing, she asked about the feces found on the porch Dec. 5. (She did not ask about the feces found inside the house in October.)

“As I understand it the house is in a wilderness area. Would it not be possible that another animal could have deposited on the porch?”

“It’s a screened-in porch, ma’am.” I tried to keep my voice free of sarcasm.

Her face was a study in that moment. From behind her the guy I am trying to evict said, “It’s got a dog door.”

The lawyer made a quelling motion to him behind her back, but I couldn’t help myself. “The dog door is nailed shut.”

The lawyer blinked. I almost felt sorry for her.

He was evicted. Further, in an agreement our two lawyers cobbled together very quickly, he waived his right to an appeal in return for me not pursing monetary damages or a protective order.

Lest anyone think this “no money just go” deal is too soft on the guy, welcome to the joys of circuit court appeal. It cost me $1K to get a lawyer to run this eviction. It cost me $25 to file for the sheriff to attend the eviction on Jan. 16, assuming this guy stays that long. But circuit court would cost four times that, and we would do the whole thing again. In April or May, because that’s how far out it is to get on the circuit court docket. Meanwhile, he would continue living on my property.

My biggest fear was that he would be allowed to appeal without posting bond. In order to take a case from general to circuit court, you must pay a percentage of the costs that the general court found you liable for in the first place. But indigent people can request those be waived and appeal without costs. My attorney asked the judge not to waive them; the judge calculated what they would come to and he dude’s attorney said “Obviously he can’t pay that, which means you are limiting his rights to appeal.”

I will never know if this was part of his theatrical approach, or a moment of inspiration, but my attorney turned to me in a sudden movement. “Would you drop the protective order hearing and the costs if he waives appealing?”

“In a heartbeat,” I said without thinking. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the judge.

“I heard,” said the judge. Then he spoke to the Legal Aid lawyer. “Do you want to confer with your client?”

Ten minutes later, it was all over. So they tell me. At this point, I’ll believe it’s over when he is gone and the locks are changed.

But maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of the ending of this all-too-common story about trying to evict someone? Time to start looking for the appropriate publisher.

Occupied: Day 55 (Why Yarn is Better than Xanax)

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I’ve seen the week between Christmas and New Year’s called the lost week online. Netflix even recommends some binge watching for this “week without purpose.”

Me, I’ve been clocking the Mondays. Dec. 22 was the two lawyers meeting for the judge to set paperwork war parameters and order me an inspection on Dec. 29.

Dec. 29 was that terrifying inspection, with the resultant pursuance of a protective order.

Jan. 5 is the eviction hearing, and the separate protective order hearing.

There are times when self-care becomes survival, but the question is, what does it look like in that moment? When you literally go numb and wonder what else could drop out just as you think you’ve reached bottom. Chocolate and bubble baths aren’t going to cut through the fearsome static that fills the void of silence, wondering: will this ever be over?

It being over is a blog for another day, and an interesting part of tenancy law. This week, off from my day job and trying to be myself, I have taken up arms by taking up yarn.

I made this hat for a friend going through extreme stress.

Self-care is better when it’s calm rather than indulgent. What do you need most? OK, find that. I need calm. So I am crocheting a stained glass bedspread in Rennie Mackintosh blocks. And logging a lot of Netflix and podcasts. Fortunately, it’s a good time of year to be binge watching and listening to stuff.

Yarn is better than Xanax. When I sat in court waiting to speak to the judge about a protective order, I fetched my yarn from my car so I could crochet. The lady behind me also seeking an order grinned. She knew.

Now, as that imagination that makes me a writer also runs crazy with “what next,” I am finding the zen of repetitive movement helpful. Slide the hook through the hole, grab the yarn, everything is interconnected. Enjoy the moment. Let your mind slide with the hook.

Crafters know how to get to The Zone. We enjoy the fact that, at the end of not thinking about what we’re thinking about, we have something to show for it. Sometimes the stitches are tighter in certain places, but they are all holding together. This time, the center can hold. So can our nerves. Yarn is cheaper than Xanax, doesn’t have side effects, and amounts to something when it’s all put together.

Taking up yarn today and I might just finish this bedspread. I’ll post pics when I do. Best wishes, y’all–and thank you so much for your kind comments, private or public. It means a lot to know other people have survived this kind of difficulty with their sense of humor and faith in humanity intact.