In September 2007, the couple shut down their business, American Made Masonry, after some clients didn’t pay or filed for bankruptcy. It produced a domino effect, causing them trouble in paying those they owed and eventually ended in several liens on their assets filed in Frederick County Circuit Court.

Salomon, 52, continues work as a mason, and Tiny, 57, seeks employment daily while caring for the couple’s five grandchildren and one adopted son, ranging in age from 3 to 13. She collects $600 per month from Frederick County’s Department of Social Services and $60 in food stamps for all eight of them.

As they continue to pay back debts and taxes, the family’s financial situation has put them four mortgage payments behind on their home on Beall Drive. The threat of foreclosure looms. Tiny hopes that by selling the home soon, the family can get out of debt before they are left homeless.

‘‘We’re living day by day,” Tiny Teran said recently. ‘‘... There seems there’s nothing we can do ... I don’t know where to go for help. The only thing I am worried about is where we will go when they take our house ... and they will take it. That won’t be a pretty sight, I’m telling you.”

Teran has been working with the Frederick Community Action Agency housing counselor Joe Baldi, a former alderman, Realtor and mortgage banker, to figure out how to buy more time.

‘‘Sometimes lenders are cooperative and will forbear [payments] for two or three months, but that money still accumulates and still needs to be paid,” Baldi said.

Teran said she should have sought help earlier.

‘‘We were fine until [recently],” she said. ‘‘The taxes are just so high and everything is high, like gas and groceries.”

The family also used to own an antiques and knick-knack shop called Tiny’s Twice Around on North Market Street (from 2001 to 2006). They often gave away clothing given to them by others and provided water for the homeless during summer heat waves.

Now the Terans are the ones seeking help and hopes someone returns the kindness.

‘‘It’s hard out there,” Teran said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mayor modifies commute

Gas prices have forced Frederick city’s mayor, W. Jeff Holtzinger, to make some changes to his driving lifestyle.

Since last spring, Holtzinger (R) has been riding his Honda XL500R motorbike 20 miles each day to his job at City Hall. ‘‘I ride it whenever it’s not raining or snowing,” he said.

Holtzinger had been spending between $120 and $140 per week for diesel gas to run his Ford SUV Excursion; he now spends about $8 per week.

Holtzinger, 44, said he does get some looks from motorists when he rides his bike to work, but that won’t deter him from taking to the road on two wheels.

Comfortable with his smaller Honda, Holtzinger is now trying out a Honda Big Ruckus motorcycle. They get between 50 to 60 miles per gallon; his smaller bike gets about 44 miles per gallon.