In my apartment building, the first floor is community space and we've got about 20 people who don't want to be alone during the day.
For years, these people who hang out in our front lobby, but the space got really uncomfortable. They would stare people down, or closely monitor when people came and went and talk about it, or talk about guests who came. Rumors would begin and spread in the lobby. A popular repeat rumor was that the water in the building is "poison." In the four years I've lived here, that came around 3 times with people getting really upset about it.
For years, these people who hang out in our front lobby, but the space got really uncomfortable. They would stare people down, or closely monitor when people came and went and talk about it, or talk about guests who came. Rumors would begin and spread in the lobby. A popular repeat rumor was that the water in the building is "poison." In the four years I've lived here, that came around 3 times with people getting really upset about it.
Dennis follows the vending machine guy and stands right next to him to watch him fill the machines. He learned the guy's schedule and would wait for him in the lobby. When the guy changed his schedule, other Lobby Stalkers would call Dennis' apartment to tell him to come see the vending machine guy fill the machine.
George volunteers to man the package closet. When the mailman comes and has packages bigger than our mailbox, he gives them to George with a log, George locks them up, and from 4-5p, George waits for people to come pick up packages. With changes in postal service, George spends all day in the lobby waiting for the mailman. He has some buddies who sit with him. There are a lot of residents who count on the mailboxes being their chance to socialize and mail is really exciting for them. Changes in the schedule meant more people would wait for the mailman. When he comes, he goes into a room behind the mailboxes to fill them. Someone figured out that if they opened the door to their mailbox and sit, they could see whether the mailman had gotten to their box yet.
This trend spread so now, twenty or thirty mailboxes are open and people are sitting in chairs across the room watching. But they don't just watch. They comment on when he's done sorting the junk mail (goes in first) and the contents of the junk mail. Eventually, someone will go grab the junk mail from an open door to see what it is, announce it to the room, and put it back.
"He's on the 4th floor."
"Oh! He put a package slip in 515! Who lives there? They're getting a package!"
"He's not done yet. He's hasn't been here yet" to anyone who walks in the room.
The mailman can hear all of this. Sometimes people would talk to him through the open doors. It made the mailman absolutely insane. He's surly. He hates it if anyone approaches him when he's outside at his truck.
After a resident survey of things that we'd like fixed up (like the elevators that break down constantly, cleaning the hallways better), the comfy chairs in the lobby were removed and a sign was put up limiting the number of people waiting there to people waiting for deliveries or rides only.
After a resident survey of things that we'd like fixed up (like the elevators that break down constantly, cleaning the hallways better), the comfy chairs in the lobby were removed and a sign was put up limiting the number of people waiting there to people waiting for deliveries or rides only.
Where to go? What to do? There is no way to get these people to stay in their apartments and they don't want to be alone. More than half of the first floor is a community room with a pool table, TV, a few different suites of comfy furniture, a kitchen, lots of tables and chairs. A lobby stalker brought her coffee maker to the community room and her gal pals would sit there are have coffee instead of in someone's tiny apartment. Someone brought cookies. The office gave the Lobby Stalkers the key to the kitchen so they could use the BIG coffee maker and donated the first can of coffee. They are off and running.
The Lobby Stalkers sit in the community room now. They can't see the front door, so they don't stare down people like they did. There are still teams/gangs/factions of people amongst the stalkers and they sit together in the community room in bunches, but they surround the coffee pot. There's an unspoken schedule of people as they rotate in and out. In the morning, someone brings a newspaper and it's divided up to be read. People take turns bringing treats. The gangs have planned card games, trips to the mall, a baby shower for the gal in the office. It's great.
The Lobby Stalkers sit in the community room now. They can't see the front door, so they don't stare down people like they did. There are still teams/gangs/factions of people amongst the stalkers and they sit together in the community room in bunches, but they surround the coffee pot. There's an unspoken schedule of people as they rotate in and out. In the morning, someone brings a newspaper and it's divided up to be read. People take turns bringing treats. The gangs have planned card games, trips to the mall, a baby shower for the gal in the office. It's great.
Outside the community room is "the sharing table." I don't know how it started, but anything on that table is free to anyone. Something someone got from the food shelf they don't want. Maybe someone is moving and they have stuff to let loose. Anything (except clothes, the office does NOT want clothes around).
Last year, as I'd harvest the garden and have more than I could use, I'd leave it on the sharing table. The lobby stalkers have first dibs since they are 10 feet away, but they also keep cell phones handy to call neighbors to alert them of free stuff. I became very popular with my garden stuff. If I had something unusual (like yellow cherry tomatoes), I'd bring them in to the Lobby Stalkers to try so they could testify that there was nothing wrong with them. I got folks to eat Chinese cucumber and long beans, yellow cherry tomatoes and pear tomatoes, different herbs and squash.
I just made a visit. I asked them what vegetables and herbs they would like. Since I always have so much extra, I could make sure to plant things they like. There were votes for the same things I've grown before. They'd also like potatoes, sweet corn and radishes. I've never grown potatoes and we're in the middle of Minnesota - lots of corn fields around here. I'll do radishes (EASY!)
It helps to guide me about planting since I really haven't had a plan. It gives all of us something to talk about. I imagine some might help me out in the garden. It will give me a reason to set a schedule for myself when it comes to harvesting - I can get pretty lazy if it's veg just for me. success
Now I'm back to read up on starting seeds and companion planting. I'm off to buy some more seeds this week when I buy a grow lamp for the greenhouse. It gives me something to do.
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