*shrugs* I don't know...her rules don't seem to be rules out of cruelty. If you follow them, they'll become habit for you over time.
This old battle...err, this elderly woman
didn't get elderly by accident. I'm 38, but sometimes my fuse becomes short when there's kids in my house (usually 10-18).
I went to visit my mom recently, and I saw on the armrest of her new couch was written in permanent marker "Michael". That's my nephew. I asked her what was going on. She said she didn't know, nothing she said seemed to sink into him...maybe I could talk to him?
My mom put me in charge of doing that in her house by asking me.
So I went and got my nephew, made him fill up a bucket of soapy-hot water, and made him sit there and scrub his name over and over and over again. "It won't come out!" he told me in disgust. "Then you're not finished," I told him. "Took you less than a minute to get your name in there, it's going to take you longer to take it out. Maybe next time, you'll find something better to do with your less-than-a-minute."
Same thing here, I think. The owner put this elderly woman in charge of her property...to take care of it for her. It sounds like there's a lesson here somewhere in this old lady's teachings. Some of the people that I admire the most today are people who taught me responsibility in my actions when I was younger.
Taking off your shoes is going to benefit you down the road - it's going to keep your house looking nice, and it's going to make being quiet for your neighbor just common sense.
If she doesn't want you to put clothes under a cabinet...then don't. She's in care of the building, my dear little friend. Following rules isn't always fun, but the world is filled with rules that we all have to follow that aren't fun. I myself would just love to go squirt dish soap into a fountain and then roll around in the bubbles and laugh...but I've learned by the rules that if I do that, it's going to ruin someone else's idea of good fun.
Just think of it like this - this house was a blessing, right? Your mom and you prayed for this to happen. So God did His part. Now it's your turn to do yours. Follow the rules carefully, don't complain, do your share.
If this lady really makes you angry...then heap a bunch of hot coals onto her head!
Oh yeah! You can do that! By making her your friend, giving her a little gift that extends your appreciation...you'll be heaping coals onto her head.
If she's your enemy, then the best way to completely destroy your enemy is by making them your friend.
Maybe nobody's ever done that for her before...yeesh, I'd be cranky too!