Do You Smell That?

>> Tuesday, June 23, 2009

We took a quick 3 day trip to the deep South last week. With such a short trip, especially over the weekend, there is a whole lot less you have to do to get ready. I'm still of the philosophy that everything should be neat and clean before you leave so you don't get discouraged when you get home, but there is only so much I can do in this family. I mean, after all, pets and a small child live here.

When we finally got home, it was very late, and we were tired. The yard was looking a little long in the tooth when we left, but with all the rain (you know what I mean), there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. Obviously, the rain continued while we were gone. I know this because the tarps covering the kid's playset were sunk under the weight of about a foot of water, the yard was a yard deep, and my mother called me while I was gone to say it was still raining.

We opened up the door, came inside, carried the sleeping bub upstairs, and looked around. Something wasn't right. "Do you smell that?" I asked Darling Husband. He said, "I was about to ask you the same thing." It isn't the toddler, and it doesn't smell like the cats." (These are the first two things a parent and pet owner blame -- the diaper, and the pets.) Oh boy. What fun! We were about to embark on a potentially lengthy game of "Find the Funk."

The Funk was apparent the moment we opened the door, but it permeated the entire house. We couldn't even find a point of origin, and it smelled like mold. Ooh, this was going to be a good one. Where could it be? What could it be?

Check the litter. Nope. No spills, near misses. Empty the litter. Nothing improves. We did find three hairballs in three different rooms, but cleaning those up had no effect on the smell. Hmm.

Cat food bowls. Okay, they are looking a little bit green after three days. Maybe that's it. Soak bowls in sink, and odor improves. Keep looking.

It has been raining for years now ... maybe the air conditioner needs to run a little higher. Okay, turn it up. We can sleep under blankets tonight. Smell diffuses, but it doesn't go away.

By now its midnight, and we're beat. So, we retire and hope for the best. By morning, nothing has changed. Still Funky. The game continues.

Cat accident in the corner ... okay, we missed that last night. Still no improvement. Open dishwasher to put in cat dishes. YIKES! Can dishes really mold in 3 days? Obviously, in this rainforest, it can. Hmm. I think we're on to something. Wash dishes again. Okay, that's much better.

But wait ... there is still Funk. Check garbage. Nope. Not that. Refrigerator? Ummm, don't go there. I'm sure that isn't it. Feed baby, spill baby food on self, remove shirt, pretreat, open laundry machine ... wait. How long have those towels been in there?

Hopefully by running the dishwasher and doing the laundry again we have finally finished the game of "Find the Funk." I sure hope so. I'm running out of ideas, and we are out of scented candles.

Now, what to do about that yard? Well, by this time I think we have few options. I could call for an early hay bailing. Instead, though, I'm seriously considering just posting a sign in the yard that says I'm reducing my carbon footprint. That should solve it.

1 comments:

Jenni Chiu @MommyNaniBooboo April 19, 2010 at 9:10 PM  

"Find the Funk" is practically a daily game at our house. It's nice to know it's played by moms all over the world! :)

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