After dealing with the truck I came back to this apartment. It stinks like cat poop. I burned sage and several sticks of nag champa. The walls and cabinets are spattered with food, the floor is sticky, there are bugs mashed all over the kitchen. The freezer door had probably not been all the way closed for a week or longer, it was running hard and full of ice. I took out a couple of jars and chipped away enough ice to get it closed. My housemate is not good about cleaning in my absence, but I could tell that she made an effort to get things under control before I showed up. I am thankful for her efforts, though she is largely unconscious of the strew about her.
I found a large bluebird dead (my cat's the birder) in the largest closet, the one we call "the shed". It had been dead for a while, and the mice must have been eating it, because it was surrounded by largish turds. Maybe rat turds--they were kind of too big for mouse-butt. I asked my housemate to consider finding a place up high to feed her cat, as I think we could be supporting an increasing rodent population with her current cat feeding system. She's so messy, the cat food is always all over the floor. I suppose it is hopeless to try to limit the rodent population while she is feeding them so profusely.
Portland, ah, it seems so sad, so gray and noisy and urban. My mind is full of panoramas of mountain ranges with grand storms upon them, full of piercing desert sun and cold monsoon hail and brisk winds that push the door open. My mind is full of Bill's bright blue eyes laughing, full of his broad hands with grease under the nails, full of his eggs on tortilla meal, full of him sitting in a tan canoe on a muddy river, wearing a floppy hat. I just called him and the telephone is such a poor substitute for being there in person. He is wooden on the phone, hardly a thing like the witty creature he is in person. I will not keep calling every day as I have during my drive. But my mind will keep going there, because it is the happiest little bit of time I have spent in a long time. Brings a smile to think of it. I look forward to my next escape. I suggested Black Canyon at Thanksgiving and he sounded faintly interested. Anywhere I could go and see him and be in the sun would be stupendous. Anywhere.
But for now I have a long list of things to do, enough to keep me busy until the day that school starts up again. My favorite boating crowd is headed out for a combined Middle Fork and Main Salmon river trip---they'll be gone for a couple of weeks. M finished her clinical boards today, but I suspect she's already out celebrating, as she is not answering her phone. I was planning to go to the grocery after dinner but now with this belly full of mac and cheese I think I'd rather catch up on my sleep. Good night all. Tales of my travels to come.....later, and mostly at the friends level.