Our unexpected challenge this week has been to investigate the small but persistent flooding of our camper. At one corner, between the “kitchen” and the bathroom door, we have noticed a recurrent puddle. Inspecting the base of the walls, it’s clear that they have been quite damp for some time, enough time to show evidence of mold. This is incredibly frustrating, as the reason we have been out of our house for almost a full year has been the presence of mold. Of course, the house is gutted now, so there are more than one reason we aren’t currently living in it. But I am not pleased with the idea of our refuge being invaded by mold spores. (The ants I am ok with. Yes, they’re biting us in our sleep, but the solution -poison and ant genocide – is simple. Mold is insidious.) So, here is our wall, carefully pried apart so the very thin plywood does not crack, to dry our camper-studs. Unfortunately, we have yet to locate the source of the water.
So Many Boxes, Not What I Need
It’s exhausting to try to find anything. Living in a 31′ trailer with three kids and a husband means that 98% of our possessions are divided between our garage and the POD decorating our front lawn. Well, 98% of the possessions we have left, after trashing nearly half of what we owned after the flood. Today, I was looking for the essential oil diffuser because, let’s be honest, a small trailer with a septic tank that we need to remember to flush at least every 36 hours sometimes gets a little smelly. But, when you’re packing an apartment full of things, into which box do you put something like an essential oil diffuser? Turns out – in the box of my extra clothes that don’t fit in the camper. Mostly, there aren’t clothes in that box; surprise, surprise.
You’d think it would be easier to find the massive All Clad spaghetti pot. It’s got to be in the one of the larger boxes, so that narrows it down. Not the box marked Legos, or board games, or lovies. Yes, there’s a whole box of lovies that didn’t make it into the camper. Is it in the box marked Kitchen? How about Large Kitchen? Definitely has to be in the Kitchen-Unbreakable box. Nope – none of those. It remains a mystery. When we finally unpack this POD into our beautiful sparkly brand new house, I’ll be kicking myself for not checking in the Bedding box for the spaghetti pot..