Can't Save Game -- Fox Dying

Hellooooo some help, fix, or feedback would be great! TIA.

Happily playing with my super sim, maxing a few random skills in the hour I had to play, and then go to save to quit and get on with my day. When a fox dies. Okay, not great; camera snaps to the unfortunate thing, but no Grim. I keep working at my programming skill, two days in game, still no Grim.

I can't save the game to quit, I can't leave the lot, I can't enter Build/Buy, I'm a bit screwed. 

I give it a few more days in game -- this time getting slightly anxious as I'm late to my next engagement IRL, still not able to save. So I have to exit the game without saving my progress - which is a bummer. 

Obviously the sim's household is in Henford but this has happened to me a couple times before and I'm getting a bit frazzled with it. Any work-arounds or fixes loomin on the horizon? Only Twisted Mexi's TOOL and BBB, no other mods.