FARMING COUNTRY, Wash.—One time I had two derelict houses in Eastern Washington state farmland on a dirt road that only had a handful of neighbors within five miles. The houses had garbage everywhere but few signs of life. Had to flag down a farmer driving by who confirmed both occupants died years ago. Both houses remained standing and apparently nobody had touched them since the deaths of the owners.
This was in one of the poorest counties in Washington. I also tried calling three different real estate signs, but all of the people who answered were either hostile or clueless. Supposedly the signs were two to three years old and most of the companies had changed their names at that point in time.
It was a little emotional for me to realize someone could live as a recluse in a rural area and pass away with no next of kin or acknowledgement from family. Keep in mind they died pre-pandemic as well, so no hectic situations prevented family from at least visiting the house.
No waves or ripples in the world, they just fade away. It makes me think that perhaps for a while they weren’t really “living” at all.
—Eli Washburn
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