There are times in life when you experience a unique situation that leaves you speechless. Sometimes the event is so unusual that it becomes an unforgettable story. And sometimes, stranger still, these stories repeat themselves…
Several years ago, I was visiting a woman in Israel who lived in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment. In Israel, as you may know, most buildings contain windows with no screens, so when someone opens their window, there is nothing to block whatever comes in or goes out of the room. Anyway, I walked into this lady’s apartment and took a seat she offered me in the living room, where the window was wide open, with laundry hanging from different lines right below the ledge.
Opposite the sofa where I was seated were two very large bird cages containing several parakeets and large blocks of birdseed suspended from wires in various parts of the cages. We just started to relax and enjoy the day when a sparrow flew in through the open window and, without hesitating, flew directly for that block of birdseed in one of the cages, grabbed some seed in its beak, and high-tailed it out of the window. My initial reaction was, “Wow! This is surreal!” Just as I finished thinking that, another bird flew into the house in the same manner and again headed straight for the birdseed, grabbed a beak full, and then circled right back out the window. I was so shocked I just started staring out the window while the parakeets in the cages were chirping and tweeting and jumping all over the cages, trying to peck at the birds as they flew in. To my astonishment, a series of sparrows began flying in and out, performing the same dance on the cages and then flew out the window. I realized the woman was nonchalantly continuing our conversation without missing a heartbeat. So, not being able to contain myself any longer, I asked her what this was all about. She answered that the parakeets were jealous since she would regularly open the window so all the birds could fly in and out and it was all wonderfully friendly and leibidik. I stood up and looked out the window and then down at her laundry and without missing a beat, suggested that she strongly consider hanging her laundry out a different window.
Well, my friends, this is not the end of my story, as unusual. Recently I made an appointment to visit a new client first thing one morning. She welcomed me at the door with a robe and a rimmed cloth hat on her head and invited me into her kitchen to join her for a cup of coffee. As I entered the kitchen, there were two parakeets flying around, perching at various places. I sat down and decided to tell her the story of my visit to this woman in Israel and what had transpired.
As I finished telling her my story, she giggled and said, “I can really relate to that story. Every morning, I put this robe on over my clothes and this old hat on my head so I can have breakfast with my birds and be able to leave for work with clean clothes.” I sat there, stunned. Not only had I never thought I would ever experience anything remotely close to what I had seen with the woman in Israel, I never thought I would encounter someone of the same mindset, who thought they had found the solution for the side effects of having birds flying all over the place. My mind just kept thinking, “How can I delicately explain to her that, although it protects her clothes, customers seeing her house are not going to be as sympathetic to how it affects everything else.” Since I realized that, short of diapering the birds, there was no perfect solution that a bird lover would consider, I finally said, “Have you ever thought of portable drop cloths that we can remove when we show your house?” Her answer to me was: “Hey, great idea, but forget the idea of portable. I have plenty of old sheets, and I will leave them here, draped around the kitchen, and throw them in the washing machine at the same time I wash my old robe and hat. That should solve the problem, alright?” I realized then and there it was going to be a long day—and a very long listing. n
Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering full service residential, management and commercial real estate services in the 5 towns of Long Island as well as the tri-state area . She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or Readers are encouraged to send any questions or scenarios by email to anessa@avcrealty.com.
