Sunny, windy and cool.
Yesterday was just like Monday, possibly even nicer as it was just a bit cooler. I’m hoping for more of the same today.
I did some more yard work, added dirt to the potato towers, pruned the grape vine that didn’t recover from this winter, sprinkled fertilizer on the raised beds and potted plants, and bundled more of the crepe murdered branches. Watered everything.
I then went into the driveway to move more food from bins under the tarp to my new shelves. Oh lordy. I knew one bin was a loss, full of moldy boxes. I was NOT prepared for the bin full of rusty cans, sewage, and huge maggoty looking things.* About 150 cans destroyed. Burst, rusted thru, totally rusted, and all missing paper labels. One can of spam, one jar of peanut butter, one jar of spaghetti sauce, and one bottle of oil are about all that was salvageable and I’m not really sure I even want to wash them… About $200 worth of food, maybe more. The ‘moldy’ bin had a dozen pouches of meat, possibly recoverable, but just thrown out, one case of Kraft mac n cheese, a couple dozen freeze dried side dishes, and a bunch of hamburger helper. All rotten and damp and moldy. Not a cheap bin to lose. Those black bins suck for long term storage in changing conditions. Call it another $200 lost.
I did move two bins worth of dry goods to the shelves and got rid of a whole pallet under the tarps. Two, possibly three bins left for tomorrow. It’s worth mentioning that these bins were stacked three high, and were under tarps and in the shade the whole time. I don’t think any water got into them directly, I think the changing temps and humid air “pumped” moist air in where it later condensed and couldn’t get back out. The same bins at my secondary location where the temps were indoor temps with some A/C in the summer and no real cold in the winter were fine, and kept the food dry and safe. The ones full of cans were the worst in my driveway. I think the thermal mass of the cans is just that much higher and makes the problem worse.
Dinner was Taco Tuesday. Fixin’s from the fridge. Meat from pouches with best by of 2016. The pouches were pre-seasoned “taco crumbles” hamburger, and pork carnitas chunks from Brazil. Delicious and unchanged from new. Dessert was Easter candy.
Some encouraging reports from ERs around the country, but that’s probably because the current restrictions are working. Keep the faith, stay sane.
Stay in and stay safe.
nick
*I picked up the cans and threw them in the trash but have no idea what to do with the 2 inches of black water in the bin. The stench is incredible, and I sure don’t want that in my driveway or yard. I poured half a gallon of bleach in the bin and left it for today. I might pour it in the gutter in the street, and then wash my truck to move the stink along. I’d pour it into the sewer directly if I could do it without a dozen neighbors watching.