Well if that title doesn't pique your curiosity, I don't know what will. Greetings from a damp, foggy, and chilly Holler on this Tuesday. I'm not sure where the best place to start my blog is today except to say that when Sharon unlocked and opened my door last Thursday, she was hit with a smell and immediately felt dampness. To say that we have had a wet, humid summer in the High Country is an understatement. And that has caused a problem . . . a serious problem. The PROBLEM: mildew on the bottom of Sharon's mattress We have read on Facebook and the Oliver Forum about under-the-mattress condensation causing mildew. There hasn't been one single symptom that something was amiss until this past weekend. Everything felt damp to the touch. There was a distinctive musty smell. Sharon's sleeping wedge stored in the closet was covered in mildew and had to be thrown away. The toilet bowl had a layer of mildew on it and there were several spots on the fiberglass wall. On Saturday morning when she stripped the sheets off her bed and they actually felt wet, did the sad truth come to light . . . there was condensation on the fiberglass bed platform and spotty mildew on the bottom of the mattress. The ARSENAL: supplies were quickly gathered On Friday, Sharon and Gracie made a trip to Lowes for her lantern project. While there, she picked up a box of three Damp-Rid hanging bags. While strolling around the campground that day, she chatted with other seasonals and they all said that they battle the dampness and mildew too. Several suggested getting a small dehumidifier. She and Rob talked about this being an excellent idea and they both ordered one from Amazon before the day was over. Once home, Sharon researched the best way to kill mildew on a mattress and also sent an email to Anita (our sales rep) at Oliver to ask several questions. Anita and Jason both replied quickly and Jason shared an article he had recently written spelling out 7 steps for combatting the condensation. Sharon gathered her arsenal of supplies: a solution of bleach and water, rubber gloves, a scrub brush, portable vacuum, dehumidifier, and moisture absorber. The ATTACK: steps were taken today to nip this problem in the bud!
The Damp-Rid bag was re-hung over the mattress, a third one went into the closet, and the last step in the attack today was to plug in the dehumidifier and position it close to the bedding. In case you are wondering, the other mattress, the one Becky sleeps on, it's unaffected and mildew free!
3 Comments
Happy 1st Sunday of fall y'all. Our days in The Holler are quickly winding down and soon I will be hibernating for the winter. Before that happens, Sharon is working to complete all our projects. Several weeks ago she made a trip to Charlotte to The Container Store to pick up an item for a project she had in mind. The only item on her list (drawer dividers) morphed into a cart full of stuff as ideas kept popping in her head while she cruised the aisles.
Welcome back to The Holler my friends! Today was a big day for Sharon and Gracie the Camper Dog. One of many things they did today was to head to Lowes over in West Jefferson with a shopping list. Three items on that list were necessary for a second project in the works for this Friday. But first I need to give you a little history. I have a long 27' deck that runs beside me. It has three steps, not very big steps, but three steps just the same. Those steps and deck are stained a dark color and more than one person has stumbled up and down them before I even arrived. The first thing Sharon did was to take some bright yellow spray paint and with Becky's help, they "installed" a safety strip to grab folk's attention. That has helped a lot. The next little project was to install some solar lights from Walmart on the corners of each step. They worked great for awhile, but there's just not enough sunlight that hits them directly to keep them charged and bright night after night. They have been a big disappointment to say the least. We need something that WORKS. So that brings you up to speed and now I can tell you about today's project. While out on her walks with Gracie, Sharon noticed that several folks nearby had lanterns hanging off their decks with white Christmas lights inside. Not only were they cool looking, they were quite functional. An idea was born and a search began for just the right lantern.
I'm glad I could shed some light on Sharon's project today in The Holler and I hope you enjoyed my blog. Have a good weekend everyone and from my family (Sharon, Gracie, Splish, and GiGi) to yours, I wish you the best! Mollie #357.
Hello everyone and greetings from The Holler! Sharon and Gracie drove up today and will be staying with me through Saturday. In between the last time they were here and now, Sharon has been working on a very special project involving my little galley kitchen. For the last couple months, the only things in my kitchen have been a wooden cutting board over my sink, a Keurig coffee maker sitting on my countertop, and a nice little dish towel covering my stovetop. Now if you are a fan of minimalism, then this would suit you just fine. But Sharon is a right-brained creator and projects bounce around in her head 24/7. She gets a vision of how something will look and she runs with it. Inspired by her T@Bbing buddy Highway Bob, she dreamed about a shelving structure that would sit behind my sink against the galley wall and hold all kinds of fun and functi0nal do-dads. So the last time Sharon was up here, she measured and figured and drew and measured again to get the design just right. Then she made a run to Lowes with her shopping list. Knowing that she would need precise cuts, all the ingredients to this project went back home with her to her "shop" in the carport with a mitre saw. Then the magic began!
Meri Ruth has several booths at local antique malls and she is a whiz using paint on the pieces she and husband Joel find. She sells a line of chalk paint called Dixie Belle and transforms tired old pieces, giving them a new lease on life. Sharon knew that my galley shelving was the perfect candidate for some chalk paint. After the two units were connected, a coat of Caviar (black) was applied. On top of that went two coats of Lemonade (pale yellow). The paint dried for 24 hours and then Sharon took sandpaper and distressed the edges giving them a worn look. She sanded some spots on the shelves to make them look a little shabby too. To finish things up, a coat of wax (Best Dang Wax) got rubbed on. Our completed project rode in the backseat of Splish all the way up the mountain and I'm not sure who was more excited, Sharon or me! She cleaned off the counter, held her breath, and put the shelving in place. Did it fit? Oh yes it did!! Her measurements were spot on and it's everything we dreamed about!! Out came some special items: a photo of Murphy, a couple coffee mugs, a little watercolor that Sharon painted, some peeps from the Blue Ridge Rally, a hand-carved knife and spoon from Judy, and a vintage coffee bank. I predict a few more little pieces will show up, but for now, we LOVE it!! Thanks so very much for visiting me and letting me tell you all about my gorgeous galley. From my family (Sharon, Gracie, Splish, and GiGi) to yours, I wish you the best! Mollie #357.
Happy Labor Day everyone! It's been a busy weekend here in The Holler. I haven't seen it this active since I moved in in July. Every single campsite has been occupied down under the pines and up on the hill. There were tents and pop-ups and small family trailers everywhere! I've been told this is what it looks like when Sharon's Blue Ridge Rally rolls in. Most of my 5th Avenue neighbors are here too. Sharon and Gracie arrived on Friday to kick off our holiday weekend. They didn't have any big, grand plans other than to relax, take walks, ride in GiGi, visit with The Cousins, and work on a couple of projects for me. And I can report that there was success on all accounts. Once both of Sharon's projects are completed, I will be back for a little show and tell. In the meantime, here are some snapshots from our Labor Day Weekend.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2020
Categories |