Ok, so here's what I've found out this past year:
The old lady they were taking care of is somebody's great aunt. Some social worker periodically visited to check up on her. The social worker noticed the exposed electrical wiring and notified the authorities. The city notified the home owners of code violations and threatened to take action if the code violations were not corrected. For reasons beyond my comprehension, the home owners don't fix things, so the city shuts off the electricity and the gas (see pics above).
Now, the husband has some kind of legal background and believes the city did not follow proper legal protocol, so he sues the city. The past four years has been an ongoing legal battle. The city offered to settle, but the homeowners balked at the terms of the settlement, apparently wanting more.
So, last week I go over there to pick up old flyers left in the driveway and I find this notice on the ground:
Then I glance over at the lawn and notice how it's starting to dry out. They've always had such a green and lush landscaping. The homeowners hired my lawn guy, Gustavo, to mow their lawn every week. Gustavo told me they send him a check every month. The lawn has been watered by the sprinkler system on its back-up battery for the last four years.
Late last night I strung my hoses together to water the lawn. Did this last week too. But I think I'll report it to the homeowners association - so they know the water was shut off. The HOA are East Germans in uniforms when it comes to enforcing rules, but I don't know what legal action they can take. It would be sad to see the lush landscaping become an eyesore.
One of these days I need to add the story about the son. More bad. Part III.