An olive branch

According to Wikipedia;

"The leafy branches of the olive tree - the olive leaf as a symbol of abundance, glory and peace - were used to crown the victors of friendly games and bloody wars. As emblems of benediction and purification, they were also ritually offered to deities and powerful figures..."

It causes this blogger to wonder if perhaps there was an abundance of "friendly games" in the area? We've certainly been engaged in some "bloody wars" recently. Perhaps there was actually a pressing need for truckloads of olive branches than necessitated the blunt amputation of the silvery green trees around Aviana. Perhaps instead they were offered to some deity as "emblems of purification" to drive the unholy memories of Riverstone management from our collective conscience. We can only hope that the armies of contractors roaming the grounds did not offer them to our new owners. Though powerful figures they may be to those upon whom they depend on for employment in these troubled times, deities they are surely not.

Whatever the reason, we do hope that these trees rebound, though their fate seems in doubt at the moment due to the severity of the work. We can only hope that should anymore "trimming" be necessary in the future, that there is a more careful hand at the chainsaw. Many of us enjoy the shade these trees provide when the temperature climes into the 90s during the summertime. What without in-unit air conditioning, or windows which allow units, fans and shade are often our only escape from the force of the sun.

Many of us await completion of renovations, and the natives are growing restless. Given that improvements have been entirely outwardly cosmetic to this point, and given that many of us have been inconvenienced by these improvements on multiple occasions, it's not surprising that this blogger is beginning to hear a low grumble among the tenants. While we applaud the general effort to improve the buildings and their curbside appearance, it's the opinion of this blog that often landlords often forget that tenants actually attempt to carry on lives within the buildings as this construction continues. Off the top of my head I cannot recall if giving a tenant a date range where their unit will be entered is strictly legal (I'll be sure to look that up soon), but it at least pushes the bounds of common courtesy. We hope that a bit more consideration will be given in the future. Once I'm forced to look into "legality" of issues, you know there's the beginnings of a real problem.

More could be said about the renovations, but perhaps enough has been said today. Moving onto other changes, as many of you know by now, the property is now owned as well as managed by Spieker Companies of Palo Alto. We bid a not-so-fond farewell to Riverstone Properties. We also welcome new live-in managers Roma and Ferdie Deluna, who took over the day-to-day duties of running the Aviana on Monday. Roma and Ferdie most recently managed a property in San Clemente, CA. Both have roots in the Philippines. We're happy to report the venerable George Harris will remain on board a head of maintenance. You can report any and all maintenance problems and other issues to Roma and Ferdie directly at rdeluna@spiekercompanies.com. We wish them luck in their new home and jobs.