Mold.

Ernie went to our storage unit to get his bow last night. Another guy was there emptying out his unit and found his things were wet. Ernie came home from work early today so we could unpack our storage unit and make sure we didn't have water - just in case.

We were both dragging our heels at the thought of unpacking a 10' x 20' storage unit packed wall to wall and floor to ceiling, but never dreamed we'd find what we found.

Nearly all of our furniture is damaged. Mold, water damage, swollen wet wood...couch, love seat, end table, sofa table, our bedroom suit, dining room table, rocking chair, Joshua's chair, bedroom furniture we bought Abigail last Christmas, cabinet Ernie's mom brought over from Spain, bookcase, lamps, pictures and wall hangings.

I quickly called our insurance agent - only to find out that water damage isn't covered (but we are still holding our breath). It was just more than I could take. I sobbed that I had already given up everything - my house, friends, church, home - how could I now lose the only furniture I had? (Yes, I am embarrassed even as I write it.)

So now - 8 hours later - we have loaded and unloaded, loaded and unloaded. Moved things here and there. There is a lot to do tomorrow. Wet boxes to open and examine. A lot of things to dry out and try to salvage. Hoping to find that our mattresses and everything else we didn't get out tonight escaped damage. It has been overwhelming. It is just things. But somehow I felt like it was a part of me.

Our moldy - very fuzzy - couch.
All the splochy patches are mold. It is on the arms, the cushions, pillows, the back, under the cushions - all through our couches and chairs. None of the upholstered furniture is salvagable - we are quite certain.
The footboard to our bed. We are hoping to find a way to kill the mold and get it out of all the wooden furniture and salvage it. No idea if that is possible...