What was the name of the little old lady....

[Zacha341]

OK, I want to make sure I am clear on this... are you saying that business on the corner of Goldengate and Woodward throws out their refuse like this. How holistic of them...... if true.

Thanx Royce...all that seems pretty logical.

We just call that place at Woodward/Goldengate the "hippie place". I've never been there, but a couple friends go there once in a while for some food [[takes forever to get served they say) and the drum circle. I'm sure 420 is involved lol. Anyway, I was around town on my scooter earlier in the summer and stopped in the vacant lot across the street to have a smoke. I took this pic in the alley where they throw the food scraps into a rotting compost pile buzzing with flies. I asked my friends if they thought Inn Season or OM cafe could do this in their alleys Ha Ha:

[Hermod]

It's just disgusting what happened to her. How did she not have at least one friend or family member that kept in touch?

Does anyone know how long she lived at the house?

As I pointed out in my little essay, if it were not for my grandmother and later my mother, both of my great aunts would have fallen into this category.

If you don't get married and if you don't have kids, then you rely on extended family. A few generation of one child families and there isn't an extended family to fall back on.

[gazhekwe]

We had friends that lived near Robinwood and John R. Their house was on a corner, I'm not sure which block. Shirley was born in the house in the mid-30s. Her grandfather built it, and her mother got it when her grandparents died. Shirley got it when her mother died. Shirley and her two sons all died within a month a few years back. The neighborhood was down, but not out. There were still plenty of neighbors, including one nice young family that helped Shirley a lot. I am sure when they died, their house went on the condemned list. Shirley never had a nickel to spend on maintenance, and one of the sons did a lot of modifications.

The neighborhood has been in existence many years. I would not be surprised if Ms. Chanin's parents owned the house, maybe even while she was a youngster, and she got it when they died. It was a nice house, and I feel certain she felt she could happily and safely live out her years there. She had all her things there, and maybe her parents' things. Then the unimaginable happened and the community she knew disappeared around her.

We have seen many elders in similar untenable situations, yet unable to choose a step to make their quality of life better. Sometimes, they balk at spending the money they have been saving all their lives, because they have been saving it, and it is not to be spent. Sometimes, like Ms. Chanin, even when offered another situation, they can't let go of all the things they have been living with. Sometimes, that little window of time where they could be more comfortable is very short. It is a lesson we all could learn from her situation. Sometimes, when life changes, you have to make a change for your safety and comfort. Or not.

What could she have done? Put her things in storage and accepted one of the offers she got from people who wanted to take her in? She could have appointed a conservator to look after her affairs once she died, to tie up all those loose ends and make sure she was laid to rest with her parents as they intended. She might have had enough saved to have someone come in to be with her and help her with things a few times a week. It is something to think about.

[Zacha341]

Yep, well stated. And points to the down side of smaller families.

As I pointed out in my little essay, if it were not for my grandmother and later my mother, both of my great aunts would have fallen into this category.

If you don't get married and if you don't have kids, then you rely on extended family. A few generation of one child families and there isn't an extended family to fall back on.

[detroittrader]

OK, I want to make sure I am clear on this... are you saying that business on the corner of Goldengate and Woodward throws out their refuse like this. How holistic of them...... if true.

Yep. I was just sitting there and noticed a bunch of bee's and flies hovering over it like a cloud. I took the picture to show to the friends I know who go there. There is a house right next to the pile, if it smelled I would put an end to it. Otherwise no big deal. You can see the pile on google street view...it's always there.

It reminds me of when I was a manager of a store in Berkley mid 90's. One of our long haired truck drivers threw an apple core out the window at 12 Mile/Coolidge. The cops came in to the store to complain about our driver "littering". I told the driver not to throw shit out the window anymore and he said "that's bullshit man, an apple is natural man, that's not litter"

[East Detroit]

What could she have done? Put her things in storage and accepted one of the offers she got from people who wanted to take her in? She could have appointed a conservator to look after her affairs once she died, to tie up all those loose ends and make sure she was laid to rest with her parents as they intended. She might have had enough saved to have someone come in to be with her and help her with things a few times a week. It is something to think about.

Then again, she probably had no such money. And the equity in her house? Whats's it worth?

[marcwigle]

Then again, she probably had no such money. And the equity in her house? Whats's it worth?

A rhetorical question, I'm sure. The house is worth what someone would pay for it... maybe $100... tops. Sad.

[reddog289]

A rhetorical question, I'm sure. The house is worth what someone would pay for it... maybe $100... tops. Sad.

That house that she lived in looked good, if not great as compared to the surrounding houses. I can say I am glad that the 4 vacent houses in a row around the corner from me are intact with just a few issues.
Marabels story is one oft repeated which is very sad indeed.

[Zacha341]

I drove down Woodward to find Robinwood one night recently. One peek from the corner stopped me from proceeded further in the dark [[no street lights). I went back during the day and it was HORRIBLE.... the next street over called Hollywood was bad too, but Robinwood is in really bad shape.

On Robinwood the houses lay completely wide open and abandoned, some burned, with one house so badly burned nearly only the stone porch pillars remained... There was not a bit plywood to even cover the windows wide open windows and doors. The street is partially flooded with water a bit, and nearly EVERY HOUSE was abandoned and scrapped.

Towards Woodward there were a few occupied homes with people watching me warily as I passed thru as though they were used to the "lets go see the ruins!" occasional tourist of which I am not. I didn't stop and pull out a camera to confirm their suspicions.

I think I found Marabel's house, though not sure. It had to be sad to live there and very depressing at night especially. I would not have felt comfortable walking down that street to get to Woodward [[day or night) and I only saw one car in front of the three or so occupied homes. How did she eat? Or get groceries. It troubles me that so many seniors are so trapped.

As someone else mentioned there's a couple of streets south of Robinwood that are nice, but I'd not want to live near a street so derelict. When is the city going to tear down some of those homes on Robinwood? A rhetorical question of course...

That house that she lived in looked good, if not great as compared to the surrounding houses. I can say I am glad that the 4 vacent houses in a row around the corner from me are intact with just a few issues.
Marabels story is one oft repeated which is very sad indeed.