step-grannies don't understand proper insulation at all
My grandfather and step-grandmother used to live in a very nice house on a small island off the coast of New England. When my grandfather died back in the 80s, she eventually took things out in preparation to sell the house. Having some shortcomings in the area of common sense, she decided an excellent way to store things would be to erect a floorless aluminum shed across the road in the woods and put stuff in it, and then securing it with your common hardware store masterlock.

After many years go by, she finally gets around to asking my father and I if we can bring our truck across on the ferry so she can finally get everything off the island as she has now sold the house. We get there and tramp into the woods to see this rusty, tilted creation that we get to salvage. After the lock is wrenched off (I'm impressed it was still there to begin with) we are overcome with the fantastic mold smell and the asthmatics among us use inhalers. Entry is heartbreaking as half the shed is lovely old books that are totally ruined due to moisture and mold. One corner of the shed is actually dry, and we find some books that have survived, some clothes that were fashionable in the 70s and - a perfect steiff bear (the kind that goes "Raaaaaaaaaaaanh" as you tip it backwards) just like the one I had as a baby, but much larger. I claimed it immediately lest she decide to store it in another moldy place to see how it fared for the next 10 years.

Length is justified - been lurking for ages.
(pantherwest, Wed 6 Jul 2005, 21:55, Reply)