Called On The Carpet

Since we are a senior community and not residents of a nursing home, we should not look like we belong in a nursing home, so no bedclothes in the common area. It did not even matter that I had hard soled shoes on my feet and was covered from neck to toes, it was just that I was in flagrant rebellion of the rules. Jean told me that the only reason she had let it go so far was because I was sitting on a bench in the hallway and would not be moving about among the residents and visitors wearing a nightgown. Worse yet, I was working on a puzzle in the common meeting area in my unsuitable clothing. 

I was suitably chastised, according to Jean's way of thinking. Basically, that was not the only fraction of the rules I had broken. She let me know that once or twice during my tenure here, I had taken a bag of trash to the trash chute unsuitably clad. Basically, I had taken the trash to the chute wearing a long shirt and no long pants. Since it happened at 3 or 4 AM, I did not think it was an infraction since no one saw me leave my apartment or return from the chute unsuitably clad – or not suitably clad. 

The only way Jean could know I had done so was to check the tapes from the weeks before. No one saw me leave or return unsuitably clad, but Jean must have watched the tapes on the monitors in her office when she arrived at 7 AM or thereabouts and watched the whole time to catch me out – and to inform me she had seen me do so.

Caught again. I thought I was safe since no one was up at that hour and no one was in the hall when I slipped out, dumped the trash, and returned. Jean had held onto this infraction about the trash in the middle of the night until today. Now that is a joke, especially since it happened a couple of months ago and only happened once or twice. Jean must be spending her time going through all the tapes and had kept that fact to herself until today. Vindictive and petty. 

Jean caught me and informed me I was in violation, not once, but twice. I had been duly informed and chastised – again.

I asked if anyone had complained and Jean shook her head. No, no one had complained, no one but her since she watched me on the monitors on tape. Caught again.

I am a bad, bad tenant. I keep my apartment clean and now have sufficient quarters to get my laundry done this week, but now I need to be cognizant of not wearing my nightgown with or without my long legged pants and to wear my pants and a suitably long shirt or sweater when out and about in the common rooms.

I had fewer rules to put up with when I lived at home or when I lived in the rehab. I pay for rent here, but I must be suitably attired according to residential rules and not wear my warm and comfy nightgown anywhere but here in my apartment.

Basically, I have broken the rules often, but then what else can I do since Jean insisted that I come downstairs and be available to let the MOW volunteers into the building. I'm not the only one who gets Meals on Wheels, and evidently I am the only one who has been ordered to wait downstairs to let them in. I guess none of the other recipients can see when the MOW volunteers arrive on channel 13 and is dressed to go downstairs and let them in. Oh, well, I guess even unsuitably dressed and clad in hard-soled shoes, I have been chosen because I've been doing it for weeks. The task is not onerous and I've been doing it fully and suitably clad for weeks, so I guess I am it.

One more mosquito in the salve, and so it goes.

I am the responsible one, if not the always suitably clad one. I can wear my nightgown in my bed or in my apartment, but cannot wear it to take the trash to the chute and return as long as there is no one to watch me. No worries. Jean will watch me on the monitors when she gets to work and checks out the tapes from the night before. Oh, well.

That is all. Disperse.Since we are a senior community and not residents of a nursing home, we should not look like we belong in a nursing home, so no bedclothes in the common area. It did not even matter that I had hard soled shoes on my feet and was covered from neck to toes, it was just that I was in flagrant rebellion of the rules. Jean told me that the only reason she had let it go so far was because I was sitting on a bench in the hallway and would not be moving about among the residents and visitors wearing a nightgown -- so no one would know.

I was suitably chastised, according to Jean's way of thinking. Basically, that was not the only fraction of the rules I had broken. She let me know that once or twice during my tenure here, I had taken a bag of trash to the trash chute unsuitably clad. Basically, I had taken the trash to the chute wearing a long shirt and no long pants. Since it happened at 3 or 4 AM, I did not think it was an infraction since no one saw me leave my apartment or return from the chute unsuitably clad – or not suitably clad. The only way Jean could know I had done so was to check the tapes from the night before. No one saw me leave or return unsuitably clad, but Jean must have watched the tapes on the monitors in her office when she arrived at 7 AM or thereabouts and watched the whole time to catch me out – and to inform me she had seen me do so.

Caught again. I thought I was safe since no one was up at that hour and no one was in the hall when I slipped out, dumped the trash, and returned.

Jean caught me and informed me I was in violation, not once, but twice. I had been duly informed and chastised – again.

I asked if anyone had complained and Jean shook her head. No, no one had complained, no one but her since she watched me on the monitors on tape. Caught again.

I am a bad, bad tenant. I keep my apartment clean and now have sufficient quarters to get my laundry done this week, but now I need to be cognizant of not wearing my nightgown with or without my long legged pants and to wear my pants and a suitably long shirt or sweater when out and about in the common rooms.

I had fewer rules to put up with when I lived at home or when I lived in the rehab. I pay for rent here, but I must be suitably attired according to residential rules and not wear my warm and comfy nightgown anywhere but here in my apartment.

Basically, I have broken the rules often, but then what else can I do since Jean insisted that I come downstairs and be available to let the MOW volunteers into the building. I'm not the only one who gets Meals on Wheels, and evidently I am the only one who has been ordered to wait downstairs to let them in. I guess none of the other recipients can see when the MOW volunteers arrive on channel 13 and is dressed to go downstairs and let them in. Oh, well, I guess even unsuitably dressed and clad in hard-soled shoes, I have been chosen because I've been doing it for weeks. The task is not onerous and I've been doing it fully and suitably clad for weeks, so I guess I am it.

One more mosquito in the salve, and so it goes.

I am the responsible one, if not the always suitably clad one. I can wear my nightgown in my bed or in my apartment, but cannot wear it to take the trash to the chute and return as long as there is no one to watch me. No worries. Jean will watch me on the monitors when she gets to work and checks out the tapes from the night before. Oh, well.

That is all. Disperse.