~Arch Nemesis~

If there is one thing a native New Mexican is not familiar with, it is mold.

Green, musty, obnoxious mold.

I mean, of course, we would get the occasional moldy bread growing up ("This bread tastes...dusty." -me at age 8) or the mold we would find when something hangs around in the fridge too long. But this is one thing about our city that we have not become accustomed to or are going to befriend in the foreseeable future. The mold problem is rampant in much of the city, in all of houses and on most of the buildings, and has been lurking around our house, just waiting to strike. January is the month it chose and it hasn't been gentle. I have scrubbed the ceilings in our bedroom, bleached the ceilings in our bathroom, and keep a ready-made bottle of bleach solution to kill at first sighting. I have found a denim jacket, camera case, and even a pair of small wooden earrings with the green haze and musty smell about them! But, alas, the mold is a formidable opponent and I have yet to conquer it.

However, the game has changed this weekend with the purchase of our new weapon: the dehumidifier! When we were living in Las Cruces, I had terrible allergies which led to the purchase of our friendly penguin humidifier and loading the medicine cabinet with allergy pills. Since moving here to this coastal city, I have felt great and haven't touched my nice stock of meds at all. Paul, on the other hand, has found his first allergy problem in mold. He sneezes constantly in the morning, has had a runny nose for months, and is making quite the dent in the anti-allergy stock. So, our family has donated to the cause of keeping us healthy and helped us purchase a DE-humidifier. Never thought I'd be buying one of these. It's not as cute as the penguin but if it helps in the battle with mold, I'm all for it! Here's to less humidity and whiter ceilings!