SF Trip – Day 5

We woke up to no power. This was accompanied by all the exciting weather that held off the day before (Thanks mom!!). My cousin and I visited until late morning when I pulled the car up to his front yard and packed up. The weather was getting more and more exciting. I left only to go a mile before being stopped by a crew who did not know how long it would take to clear the tree that was now blocking the road. I went back to my cousin’s. He got me going the long way around to Tim’s. Normally it would take 20 minutes to get to Tim’s, including traversing the very scary park service road into the compound where Tim lives in the winter. It took about an hour to get there.

The plan had been to hang out with Tim, meet an old friend for dinner, and then return to Tim’s for the night. There was absolutely no way I was going to drive back down that road in the dark, in a storm. My friend texted me, as I was about to text him, to say we needed to cancel, both because of the weather (which was getting fierce) and that the restaurant had closed.

I found Tim having a lot of trouble with his right leg. We mostly sat and caught up. He put out a cheese spread for lunch, and we rummaged the fridge. I cooked dinner. He, like many elderly folks who are used to being uber capable, is averse to accepting help. When he went to check the road (a thing they do in the community), I vacuumed and caught up the dishes,

Upon his return he told me the upstairs (where I was going to sleep) roof was leaking, and that creating a catchment system for this leak had taken his energy so he didn’t have a chance to otherwise clean up the bedroom for me. He offered to swap bedrooms. This would have meant washing sheets, etc. I said a leak didn’t scare me. I did not want him to feel obligated to do laundry much less go up and down what are likely the steepest set of stairs I have ever scaled. What I did not see, nor did Tim, was the vast evidence of mouse in the room. So much that I didn’t brush my teeth, preferring to wait until morning when I could use a sink and counter that I didn’t have to share with furry roommates. While there was no mouse evidence on the bed, the bed was very musty. I did get some sleep, but it was not my best night.

I was supposed to stay with Tim again this coming Thursday night after dinner with friends. My unwillingness to drive the access road in the dark, or ask/have Tim do laundry and climb stairs he shouldn’t, because I won’t sleep in a mouse poop filled bedroom leaves me looking for a place to stay Thursday. I blamed my change if plans on being terrified of the road in the dark.