This has an Eeewww of Factor 9:

I finally got around to emptying my cooler filled with beer today. I had filled it at the request of Terry, who had intended upon consuming copious amounts of barley-pop on Friday night at Old World Wisconsin.

The cooler had been sitting on my front porch since September 1st. I didn't think much of it as all that was in it was unused bottles of beer and melted ice water. I drained the water off and set the cooler on the porch.

Today, I was preparing to return my brew collection to it's proper place in the small refrigerator that I keep near my computer work station. Simple task actually... carry the now dry cooler down to the basement and restock my beer larder.

Unbenounced to me, somebody had placed the unused and unwrapped 2.5 lb. pre-cooked ham that we didn't get to into that cooler. I don't know how since that cooler stayed in my vehicle all weekend and didn't re-enter the museum until Sunday night.

I'm glad I opened the cooler up before bringing it into the house, as I was met with the most foul odor and most disgusting sight I had ever experienced. The ham had now turned blackish-gray with some pink areas still visible. It had a coating of white, fuzzy mold growing over most of it; and it was crawling with maggots.

This parcel was perched atop my bottles of beer, leaching its juices down the sides of every bottle it was in contact with. Maggots crawled all over the inside of the cooler. The stench was unforgetable and, as I write this, I still haven't gotten it out of my nostrils yet.

Sadly, I refuse to attempt to wash off the beer bottles and quickly bagged them up and tossed them into the rubbish. The ham, picked up with a stick I found, was also tossed into the same container for Monday-morning pick-up.

I now know what mouldering is first-hand.

My God man think of the beer!

Simply having water set in a cooler for two days will begin producing mold and bacterial growth. I have to be strict with our student trainers about making sure they every bit of water out of a cooler before we store them for the next practice/game.

That's just it — I drained the water out entirely... just not the ham.

I can't figure out how the flies got inside the cooler to lay eggs, unless the ham was sitting out on a table for a while. Makes me a little more conscience about flies landing on my food.........yuk .
Your story reminds me of the great college years. A bunch of us UWO friends went camping in early september. It was raining hard all day Saturday, so we packed everything quick on Sunday morning and got on the road. It wasn't until after fall finals (mid December) that a friend opened his cooler and discovered the relics from camping past. The smell was awful. It almost cleared the dorm wing. What was left was a gray, green, brown, blue mass of hot dogs, hamburger, onions and a few full beer cans. The really sickening part is.............being we were poor college kids, we rinsed off the cans and drank the contents. And they say that college kids are smart.

By the way, what happened to your cooler?

Karl

Unless you took a towel and dried the interior, it'll still cause growth. Leave some bleach in it for a day or two and rinse it out, let it air dry upside down, and it'll be good to go for more Badger games this fall.

Still, I gotta say, "Oskee Wow Wow!"

I gotta be honest, I would have saved the beer.

I'm just sayin'.

"What's your favorite kind of beer?"
"Cold."

"What's your second favorite kind of beer?"
"Warm."

Cheers,
Eric

Dave F's ham lies a-mouldering on the porch,
Dave F's ham lies a-mouldering on the porch,
Dave F's ham lies a-mouldering on the porch,
But the beer goes marching on!

He's gone to clean the cooler with bleach and a hose,
He's gone to clean the cooler with bleach and a hose,
He's gone to clean the cooler with bleach and a hose,
For the beer goes marching on!

Karl Pasch will drink the beer, even with the mold,
Karl Pasch will drink the beer, even with the mold,
Karl Pasch will drink the beer, even with the mold,
And the beer goes marching on!

That remindes me of a song from 1861. My best period "Caseys" Cassum pun.
Andy we have to sing that fridays before events when the liquid sunshine is out.
MMMMMMM Beer!
Cheers
Terry Sorchy