Their beautiful balcony glitters with thousands of lights. It’s a crisp clear night, not yet winter. A sunset blazes to the west. A buzz on the buzzer and I’m in, headed for a dinner party with assorted friends.
My hosts and their two felines nest in a two-bedroom modest unit that makes sense. There’s no view of the lake, but with fascinating art purchased from local artists, the space is akin to a mini-museum. The wine flows, mingling with the scent of spicy enticements drifting in from Maharaja on Farwell, and in the efficient condo kitchen just a few feet from me are hints of dinner suggesting a trip to the Middle East.
Candles glow.
We five sit ‘round a polished table made of dark wood. A black cat rubs against my ankle, anticipating a morsel of foodstuffs beginning to grace the perfectly placed white plates. More wine. The conversation drifts in an out of NYC and bedbugs, west to Omaha, then on to dental extractions, to teaching assignments and then to the state of our economy and Milwaukee’s #4 slot on the national poverty rankings. We eat and chat about racism and the many ramifications. A woman remarks about Detroit, #1 on the poverty list; another comments about the sad state of journalism.
But up here, on this night, with delicious food and good conversation at the ready, all is serene. We friends float on a private island, protected from the mean streets below.
The conversation turns to condo rules and regulations. To my left a guest says his two story condo allows only caged birds and “comfort” canines. The monthly fee is low because there’s no officious Concierge to pay, and in lieu of one, they spend their dues for an on-site manager who keeps things humming. But oops, the condo owner who was allowed one “comfort” canine has expanded to two comfort canines, and the other residents are raising a ruckus. It’s a bit like the number of fish in an aquarium rule. If one canine is “comforting,” wow, then two must be twice the comfort. Right?
Methinks condo rules are seldom followed and you can count on some unit owners (or renters) breaking them big time, all of the time, and so sue me and to hell with rules. Where I live, the rules specifically prohibit decorating the hallway outside of a unit, but no one stops those who do, and lots of owners do. It starts with a floral “Welcome” doormat and moves on from there to the realm of overblown pedestals ripe with fake flora and all manner of junk. It’s okay to have no taste, but keep it on the other side of your door please.
The renegade exterior hallway décor reminds me quite a bit of single family homes where the lots lines are outlined with big rocks, in some cases painted pink, though so far no one has planted the front half of a beloved Cadillac on their condo balcony. Okay, so let’s talk balcony rules. Giant sculptures and political signs, get lost. Last year, in a condo building north of me someone hung a huge PEACE SIGN banner. It remained in place for quite awhile. In a war torn world it was, in a word…refreshing!
Some old hippie in that unit was giving the finger to rules, of which the world has way too many. Of course the makers of signs don’t feel that way do they? See that sign? It says VOTE, and I will. My voting place is up the street at the Charles Allis Museum.
