M-O-L-D

Tuesday was Mold Removal Day for Jean, Amanda, Dana and me. These homes have been sitting for seven months so the mold is pretty pervasive as well as dangerous to breathe. That means we all look like sperm from a Woody Allen movie in our Tyvex suits. For some reason Dana and I ended up with 4XL size. There are several Missy Elliott jokes in there but I'll refrain.

Mold removal involves scraping every inch of wood in the house with a wire brush. The homes have already had all the contents, drywall, carpet and tile removed so wood is about the only thing left. The home we worked in was built in the 1920s and had seen better days. Dana is coming home with a lovely souvenir scar from falling through a floorboard. Once the whole has has been scrubbed it is left to sit for an hour. After lunch we went in two at a time to vacuum all horizontal surfaces to remove the mold spores that had been scraped off. Once vacuumed the entire area gets wiped down with a chemical solution to help prevent regrowth. The next step is to paint everything with a protective paint but that is a job for another day and another team.

At dinner we presented Hands On USA and Hands On Network with the donation checks ($1,100 each) that was the balance of the Rhino fundraising. Rhino Entertainment is also matching these funds. The Hands On people were very appreciative of the donation. These funds help keep this whole thing going. We were very proud to bring all of Rhino to Biloxi in this gesture and remind the people here that the West Coast has not forgotten them.

Rhino has also volunteered to cook breakfast on Wednesday morning for the whole crew so a trip to the Winn-Dixie is in order. On our shopping list is 180 eggs! Breakfast cooking starts at 5 am, do I hear any volunteers?