Scenic Squalor

In those early days, a decade ago, the inside of the cabin was even worse than the outside. The walls were stained and covered with a black mold. There was a filthy and disgusting carpet. The kitchen floor had a springy feel to it where it wasn't rotted away entirely. The bathroom floor was missing and the tiny basement below it was partially submerged in water.

The place had an unfamiliar odor, but that's because we didn't know what mouse poop and urine smelled like. Suzy cleaned, organized, bought a table and beds at thrift stores, ripped out the carpet and we started our own landfill with junk and debris removed from the inside.

Even though we spent many hours cleaning and repairing, it was still a squalid mess. There's no electric service (there used to be, but that's a story for later). We had no running water but the drains seemed to function. We could wash dishes using hauled water from the creek, which wasn't unpleasant and taught us about water conservation.

We also had the luxury of a functioning indoor toilet, except when it cracked because we forgot to put antifreeze in it.