HONEY

I just got off the phone with my lawyer, who felt the need to remind me of that old adage:  "Sometimes you get more flies with Honey, than Vinegar....."  To which I replied:  "I'm all out of Honey, the Honey is gone... !"


Had I not been so quick to be flip, I might have said something more intelligent, like:  "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes...", or something equally witty.


But, I didn't.  Somewhere, along the way - I lost my Honey (now I just sound like Winnie the Pooh).  No - seriously - I had honey when we were moved the first time - from Moore Drive.  I was forced to use up all of my vacation time and savings to do so, but - I used Honey.


I used Honey when we were made to jump through numerous hoops to get and keep Public Housing....

I used Honey when my belongings were repeatedly stolen by various Maintenance personnel, and my reports went ignored....

I used Honey when I was called into the office numerous times after that to provide birth certificates and Social Security cards for myself and my family because office staff kept 'losing' them.

I used Honey when issues brought up in Resident Council meetings went ignored and un-addressed. 

I used Honey when my landlord miscalculated my rent, and took me to court for no reason;  Over and over and over and over again......

I used Honey when they broke numerous promises about helping residents buy back on Moore Drive.  I used Honey when money went missing from the buy-back program due to embezzlement, and us residents suffered as a result.

I used Honey when we were promised an all-purpose community center complete with computer equipment and printers, only to have the doors locked so consistently that I ended-up having to buy my own computer and printer.

I used Honey when I lived in a unit which had faulty electrical wiring that caused me to have to buy new stereo, T.V. and computers every year, and the landlord refused to fix it, or have it professionally rewired, playing Russian Roullette with our lives...

I used Honey when my landlord laughed in my face and told me she wasn't going to fix the toxic mold problem in my home, because it would cost her too much.

I used Honey when all of my furniture was eaten by termites, because the maintenance guy refused to admit that I was right about having them in the first place (despite my bringing him one in a jar);  And waited 2 years to call an exterminator.

I used Honey when Code Enforcement and my landlord ganged-up on me - forcing me to use money I should have spent on my kids, threatening me with eviction if I didn't use it for lawn care maintenance instead, because they were too selfish to loan me existing equipment or too lazy to do it themselves.

I used Honey when my redneck neighbor let himself into my house to let me know in no uncertain terms that we weren't welcome in the neighborhood, but that he would "tolerate" us...

I used Honey when we were forced to move a second time at our own expense, because RHE Board Members were too greedy, callous and self-involved to understand that as a single parent - I may not have had the extra $200.00 laying around to fund just such an expense.


Like I said:  I'm all out of Honey...... *sigh*.