Not as bad as I'd feared

The ceiling is down and the results are in. I'm right! There is mildew above the ceiling so we were justified in insisting it be removed and our contractor did it so we've got to give him credit where credit is due. I wasn't home when the removal was happening so I didn't see the back side of the drywall they removed but given that mildew growing into the wood, I suspect that was pretty well saturated with mold. Now we've just got to dry it out and get rid of the mildew. I've been reading up on this and one source says the mold should be sanded off because chemical cleaners won't effectively remove the mold. We've got fun ahead! While I know it shouldn't be our responsibility to clean it up, I'm still going to work on it so I can be confident that it's done and we won't have more mold growth. I can't wait for this to be over and done with.

And frankly, this could have been a whole lot worse than it is. I was afraid the whole ceiling area would be coated with mold and it's not nearly that bad. The room already smells better.

In other good news, we haven't seen any carpenter ants, not even drunken ones, since the "bug man came to eat our house." I've been trying to remove and prune bushes that are growing close to the house since that's supposed to help prevent reinfestation. Owning a house is so wonderful sometimes....