Happy October everyone! It's a grand month for camping and even though my 2018 sojourn here in The Holler is coming to a close, Sharon is still camping with me every weekend and checking projects off her to-do list. Monday was an absolutely gorgeous day here in my little slice of heaven called site #86. Temps were in the 60s, Sunday's rain had moved on out, and Wendy and Baby Gracie were driving up from Newton for lunch and to help with getting GiGi the golf cart down the mountain and home for winter storage. Here's my view from above . . .
Time to drop back and re-think this. Remember Sharon's trip to The Container Store in Charlotte that I told you about? That trip had the sole purpose of finding a suitable and stylish divider system for my big 17" x 17" drawer. Not only did she find the perfect solution, she also found a non-slip liner with my yellows and browns. So yesterday, working outside on the picnic table, my project fell into place. Designing, measuring, carefully scoring and snapping the pieces, attaching little holder brackets, and VOILA, it was finished in about an hour! I'm tickled to death with how it turned out and since Sharon bought two drawer divider kits, we've got a spare for another project in 2019. It's hard to believe that I've only got two more weeks in The Holler. Camping will continue for Splash, the T@B, but it's nearing the end of the season for me. I'm so glad you dropped by so I could tell you about our project and from my family (Sharon, Gracie, Splish, and GiGi) to yours, I wish you the best! Mollie #357.
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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! 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.
Long before I came to live at Raccoon Holler, ideas for what my interior would look like were already taking shape. When Sharon made the decision to sell The Wee Cabin in Black Mountain, she knew she wanted to use decor from her bedroom and bath and incorporate it in my interior design. With a color palate of black, brown, rust, and gold, a plan took hold. With black crows and yellow stars, an idea was born and I was given a touch of home! The first thing Sharon did was to take the queen quilt off her cabin bed and cut it in half to make twin bedspreads. The pillows and shams came along too. She found comfy bed rests at Bed, Bath, & Beyond that were perfect for leaning back on to catch a movie or watch some TV. The ceramic lamp with stars on its shade used to sit on the bedroom dresser and works perfectly now on my bedside nightstand. One summer, Sharon took some acrylic paint and in a folk art style, painted a simple picture called Black Mountain Crows. It hung in the bathroom at the Cabin and I knew where she was going to put it. Sure enough, this past week she hung that primitive-looking piece in my dinette area.
Good Wednesday afternoon everyone. I'm glad you stopped by today so I could tell you about a little hide and seek project that Sharon completed today. I can think of only one thing that Sharon didn't much care for when she took the factory tour back in early April. That was the black sheath containing all the wires running from the attic down to the back of the TV. It kinda stuck out like a sore thumb. While in the showroom, Sharon asked Brent if the black sheath could be swapped out for a white one, but he said no. So she pushed it to the back of her mind. Fast forward three months. When she and Cousin Rob were doing the tour with Phil on her delivery day in July, there that black sheath was again, front and center. It wasn't hanging down, but it still caught her eye. Sharon mentioned this to Cousin Rob, told him it bothered her, and surely there had to be a solution. Now there's one thing about Rob that you need to know! He loves a camping or trailer challenge and it took him no time flat to find the answer. He sent Sharon a link (he does that a lot) for Split Wire Loom that he found on Amazon. A cable management company in Florida called ELECTRIDUCT Inc. distributes a white sheath in lengths of 10'. So it was ordered in July and today Sharon measured, cut, and installed it! Boy oh boy does it look sharp!!
Greetings everyone! I hope you are well and enjoying your August summer days. Life up here in The Holler has been awesome. I've been waiting for Sharon to get back from her Outer Banks trip last week so she could come stay with me. She and Baby Gracie arrived this afternoon and will be here until Thursday. I wish she could stay longer, but she will need to get back home to prepare for Sunday's annual trip to Maryland for the Dutch Oven Gathering at Cunningham Falls State Park. While here, she will be pulling out the tape measure and drawing paper to work on three upcoming projects. I won't give you any details quite yet, but don't worry, you will be the first to know. In the meantime, I want to tell you about something very special that she brought me today . . . a teak shower mat! Over on the Oliver Forum, Sharon saw a post about someone who had purchased this teak shower mat for their trailer and she immediately fell in love with it. The company, Teakworks4u, used to be based in Georgia, but is now in Minnesota. The company makes all kinds of teak products for the home and also makes custom shower mats for Oliver and Airstream trailers. And that's how mine came to be. Sharon brought it up to The Holler today and wasted no time dropping it in my shower pan. It is a PERFECT fit and looks so very sharp and stylish. It has rubberized footing on the bottom, making it non-slip in addition to grooves cut into the wood for water to drain through easily. What do you think?
Hey everyone! I hope you have had a chance to look around my Good Gollie Miss Mollie website. Sharon and I have all kinds of fun stuff to share with you about our life as seasonal campers here at Raccoon Holler Campground. When she and Cousin Rob picked me up in Tennessee on July 17, 2018, I had no idea exactly where I was headed and where I would be calling home. But I sensed Sharon's excitement and joy and knew that all would be well no matter where she took me. The trip back to the Blue Ridge Mountains was a long one, but I felt totally safe and secure with Cousin Rob in the driver's seat towing me with Levi the big blue Ford truck. We stopped several times for comfort breaks and each time we did, Cousin Rob declared that I was a dream to tow and all was going well. I found out quickly that Sharon would be taking photos of me each and every time we paused on the trip. I am settling into life here on 5th Avenue and look forward to sharing all kinds of neat stuff with you here on my website and blog. It's going to be a grand adventure and one that I hope you will enjoy reading about. From my family (Sharon, Gracie, Splish, and GiGi) to yours, I wish you the best! Mollie #357
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July 2020
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