Day one!

Cold, rainy (low 30s)

Today was full as a day can be. I arrived here at Slanty at about 9:00 in the morning, and I haven’t sat down since—not to eat, not to drink… well, I guess I drove for a bit, and I sat to do that. But other than that, I’ve been on the move all day, and I’m tired.

Slanty was in pitiable shape when I got here. Chunks of insulation and rat turds littered the floor, along with gum wrappers and other assorted junk. The sink was full of dirty dishes, and the bathroom (pictured above) was strewn with empty shampoo bottles. Cobwebs covered every surface, and every spider known to man made an appearance. It was sort of intense. And then there was the camp gear. About ten large Rubbermaid containers had been stacked in the kitchen, right in the way of everything. The whole place reeks of rodent piss, so much so that you can smell it from about fifty feet outside the building. The porch was covered in trash—pop cans, cigarette butts, soaked newspaper, paper towels—and the place looked about as desolate as a person could imagine.

Twelve hours later, it looks a lot better. Carlo took out the nasty ceiling in the kitchen where the squirrels were residing, and while now it’s bare wood with the occasional sheet of insulation (installed upside-down), at least it’s going to get better. I did the dishes, cleaned the counters, scrubbed out the fridge, swept down the cobwebs, washed down the shower, de-molded the toilet, built a fire, and even ate dinner. Mainly, I swept. I swept and swept and swept. I also hand-mopped the bathroom. Apart from the complete lack of silverware (it’s fun to slurp lentil soup from a mug, right?) I’m doing pretty well.

I can hear one of the rodents stirring in the kitchen wall. It must be confused by the sudden removal of its home. Carlo stuffed an entire sheet of insulation down the wall it normally climbs up, and even if it did get to the top, it would peer out over a void where its nest used to be. My fear is that the stupid pretty-tailed rat is going to climb to the top and have free run of the house, munching on all my food on the way to mauling my face in the night. My other, more long-term fear, is that the family will just move to the walls now that the ceiling is no longer an option, and then I’ll have squirrels in all the walls. Yeah.

It’s cold out here. Even with two space heaters and a fire, I’m feeling a little chilled. I’ve burned through a ton of firewood this evening. Oh well.

I’m a little scared. I miss home, and I don’t know if I made the right decision in being here. I of course love this place, but my main tasks for the winter are going to consist of weed-whacking and Rounding-Up blackberry bushes at the ranch, and while I don’t mind that so much, I do want to see friends and family, and I love my little apartment and don’t particularly want to be gone so much. We shall see.

For now, it’s time for bed. Tomorrow will doubtless be another full day, and I might as well get ready for it.