I expected the worst, but even still, it was disgusting. I pried open the refrigerator in the little travel trailer that is next to our cabin. I could have sworn that I cleaned it out when we stopped using it a couple of years ago (around the time when I became pregnant and the cabin was completed). Apparently I did not, so today when I ventured to complete my deep cleaning of the trailer so that we can start using it again, I had no one to blame but myself.We used to live in the trailer. The cabin was a huge upgrade. While the trailer had a sink and ice cold water the beds were teeny tiny and hard on both of our backs. We were thrilled when Paul and Dad finished the cabin and we were able to buy an actual bed (it's probably why we went out and got a king size) to sleep in once the cabin was finished.
I was lucky enough to have saved the swine flu mask that they gave us during our visit to the doctor's office last week when Sadie was sick. Because we've had mouse issues in the past I put it on before I went inside. Earlier this summer when I started the cleaning project I found that any time I went into the cabin I ended up coughing for a couple of days. So Sadie is definitely not allowed in until it's really been cleaned out. The fridge was making a strange swishing sound and I braced myself as I opened it. I half expected water (I don't know where it would have come from... I was basing this fear purely on the sound that it was making...) to rush out and flood my sneakers (I had an even greater fear that somehow a raccoon had opened the fridge and was stuck in there trying to get out...). There was no flood of water (and no raccoon), but the smell was nearly as bad.
English muffins. I remembered once I'd pried the door open. There had been a sale on English muffins. I'd bought three packages and frozen them to make little pizzas later. Apparently when the fridge had died (and it is most definitely dead) the english muffins had liquified. It wasn't a pretty picture. There was mold everywhere. It may take a while for me to look at english muffins the same way.
After two hours of scrubbing the fridge and freezer were clean. I was still hopeful that the breaker was switched, although this was truly wishful thinking since the fridge light was working and I imagine they would be on the same breaker... I did try to tell myself that the light was probably battery operated, just to keep the dream alive for a little longer). I was happy to find that the tiny living room was free of mouse "evidence" (to put it delicately), which means they must have moved on for the time being (we do have those electronic devices that are supposed to make sound to keep the mice away).
With the trailer closer to working order we are closer to having (kind of) running water, in the form of a garden hose plugged into the trailer. The downside is that the water empties out into a tank that has to be dragged up a steep hill to be emptied (something my husband is not all that exited about).
I was lucky enough to have saved the swine flu mask that they gave us during our visit to the doctor's office last week when Sadie was sick. Because we've had mouse issues in the past I put it on before I went inside. Earlier this summer when I started the cleaning project I found that any time I went into the cabin I ended up coughing for a couple of days. So Sadie is definitely not allowed in until it's really been cleaned out. The fridge was making a strange swishing sound and I braced myself as I opened it. I half expected water (I don't know where it would have come from... I was basing this fear purely on the sound that it was making...) to rush out and flood my sneakers (I had an even greater fear that somehow a raccoon had opened the fridge and was stuck in there trying to get out...). There was no flood of water (and no raccoon), but the smell was nearly as bad.English muffins. I remembered once I'd pried the door open. There had been a sale on English muffins. I'd bought three packages and frozen them to make little pizzas later. Apparently when the fridge had died (and it is most definitely dead) the english muffins had liquified. It wasn't a pretty picture. There was mold everywhere. It may take a while for me to look at english muffins the same way.
After two hours of scrubbing the fridge and freezer were clean. I was still hopeful that the breaker was switched, although this was truly wishful thinking since the fridge light was working and I imagine they would be on the same breaker... I did try to tell myself that the light was probably battery operated, just to keep the dream alive for a little longer). I was happy to find that the tiny living room was free of mouse "evidence" (to put it delicately), which means they must have moved on for the time being (we do have those electronic devices that are supposed to make sound to keep the mice away).
With the trailer closer to working order we are closer to having (kind of) running water, in the form of a garden hose plugged into the trailer. The downside is that the water empties out into a tank that has to be dragged up a steep hill to be emptied (something my husband is not all that exited about).
I am happy to say that the mask worked and for the first time since I've done a day of cleaning I don't have a cough. Now I just need to finish the tiny bathroom and the sleeping area (two very narrow beds) and we'll have our own little area to spend time in during out waking hours. I love the cabin, but it is almost completely taken up by the bed and the crib. If we're not sleeping or watching a movie, there isn't much room to move around. And while the initial opening of the fridge was kind of horrifying, it wasn't that bad once I started working. I kept my mind on the reason for the two hours of scrubbing, which was making a nice place for my family to spend time and have meals together. It may be tiny, but I have a feeling in a few years (once Paul finishes all the years of grad school and is a canon lawyer or professor) we'll look back on our trailer and cabin wistfully. In the meantime, I'll never let it get this out of control again!
The downside is that my Dad went down and checked on the fridge and it is, in fact, dead. It had a good, long life for a refrigerator, having been manufactured in the 1970s. He said he can pull it out and we can get one of those little fridges for dorm rooms to put in... but that will probably be in a few months. Still I'm glad I got all that mold out. It'll be in it's place for a while longer and it would have driven me crazy to know how bad it was inside if we were spending time in there.
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