As The Mold Turns

Buying your first home is supposed to be a wonderful, exciting, slightly scary experience.  And it was for me…until…until about a week after I moved in when it rained and the roof started leaking. That was just the beginning. In the short span of time I have been in the house, there have many problems, the latest f which is toxic mold. Yes, THE toxic Mold. As in Stachybotrys. And several other molds that are considered toxic, but Stachybotrys is the really bad one.

And I have it. Which would explain all the health problems I have been having. And it would explain the huge vets bills because my cats have been so sick.

When you move into a newly purchased home, you assume that it’s safe – for you, your friends, your family, your pets. Never did I think I, we, were not safe…because of mold. The home inspection was done, nothing was found…because everything had been freshly painted over.

And now mold is growing, fungus is multiplying, at an alarming rate (well, the fast growing mold, the others…grow slow). And now, I cannot live in my wonderful, beautiful, amazing new home, that I just bought and moved into this past March. It is not safe for my pets and I to be there, we are all sick.

My parents, my sweet elderly sick parents also stayed at my house. My father stayed to recuperate after chemo for his liver cancer(and his immune system was low after that). My mother spent 10 straight days with me, waiting for Dad to recover.

And now, moving forward, I must determine what to do,  how to do it, and do it quickly. So many mold inspections and tests to be done. So much expense and the estimates of remediation and cost of repair come in. So many hopes, dreams and aspirations gone.  My first home.

And many times in life, you must laugh to keep from crying.To find a little humor in the situation, if you will. So my house has been named Mold Manner, Sir Mold-a-Lot and The House of Mold. My new nickname is Moldilocks. As friends get updates it is called As the Mold Turns, Days of our Mold, The Mold and the Beautiful. I laugh….and drink a lot of wine.

And as I sip some wine, in a place that is not my home, I wonder, where will I put my Christmas tree this year?

Tune is for the next episode of As the Mold Turns…