Pandemic Week 140: Thanksgiving at the Mouse House

Thanksgiving 2022 marked the first time the Kohler family gathering for the holiday since 2018.  The Kohler's gathered in the mountains of Deep Creek Lake Maryland, not Disney (as the title may suggest).  We were excited to get together and rented a lovely mountain top house with a distant view of the lake.  We arrived just after dark on Wednesday night and did not realize all the house had to offer until daylight the next day.

We rejoiced in the gas fireplaces on both the main and lower levels.  Uncle Tim, Theresa, Joe, Anna and Aidyn decided to take the bedrooms in the lower level (Uncle Rod and Aunt Courtney were arriving the next day) while Grandma and Grandpa had the master suite on the main level.  Wednesday night, Theresa was up late and decided to turn on the lower-level fireplace to enjoy while reading a book. This resulted in the carbon monoxide detectors going off throughout the house at 11:30 at night.  That was the end of the gas fireplace.  She also tried to let Storm out the lower-level back door only to find the door frame cracked and a door that would not shut all the way.

The next morning, Uncle Tim noticed some droppings on the floor in his room...and in his bed....and in the family room.  Theresa checked and noticed the same in their room (including on the comforter and sheets).  Clearly there were mice.  LOTS of mice.  Uncle Tim found a nest behind the washing machine.  After calls to the management company who assured us, they would send someone to check the gas and put something down for the mice, Uncle Tim and Theresa determined help would not be on the way any time soon and proceeded to go on a cleaning frenzy downstairs.  Meanwhile, Grandma was cooking the turkey upstairs.  No one showed up to assist, so Theresa called back on Friday only to find out there was no record of her multiple calls on Thanksgiving Day (the number one item on the list was the gas so that no one would blow themselves up).  Finally, a maintenance representative showed up to shut of the gas to the fireplace and an exterminator came (at 6PM) to confirm there was a major mice problem.  Hopefully this will be solved before the next tenants arrive.

Another challenge was the internet connection.  While it was fine to have limited connectivity for vacation purposes, it was not fine for Aunt Courtney who had to work on Friday and Saturday.  The only way she could get a steady connection was to directly connect to the router, which happened to be in the mouse-infested laundry room.  She moved some furniture and a monitor into the room (the washer became her desk) and was locked up for work (unfortunately there are no photos of the laundry room office).  There is a lot to be said for good internet connectivity.

Other activities for the long weekend in Deep Creek included the following:

• Anna got lots of practice driving in, including part of the way there and part of the way back.  This included driving on mountain roads, freeways, and in the rain. 
• Aidyn at long last got to play Uncle Joe at monopoly.  The game spanned two nights and was everything he expected with lots of wheeling and dealing from Uncle Joe.  What Aidyn did not expect was for Grandma to win the game owning nothing but the utility companies.
• Uncle Tim joined Aunt Theresa for a hike, only to have his knee go out at the halfway points.  It was a long, painful walk down the mountain trail for him.  Meanwhile, Joe and Grandpa hung out at the lake while waiting for the return of the hikers.
• Storm had a great time with lots of people to pet him and Courtney's dog to follow around.  
• Grandma and Theresa went to the local festival of trees on Friday, which was a fun event.
• Uncle Rod and Uncle Tim watched football all weekend, with the big game being Ohio State-Michigan on Saturday with a spot in the national championship at stake. It did not end well for Ohio State.  There was much sadness in the house.

It was a great weekend to catch up with everyone and enjoy the area.  Hopefully we left the place better than we found it (or at least with less mice).  Happy Thanksgiving!

Tim & Theresa on a hike