(What a title, eh?)
Poor SB. Let it be known by one and all that he crawled UNDER OUR HOUSE to investigate the smell. And he found…
Nothing.
He reports that it’s not as bad as he was expecting under there. He was waiting for flashlight-glowing-eyes at any moment (OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD) but that, thankfully, did not happen. However, thankfully, (or perhaps not) he did not encounter any rotting corpses (corpsi?) either.
This is clearly one of the horrors of home ownership. We are now faced with the option of cutting random holes in the walls, hoping to get lucky, MAYBE find it, or….
waiting it out. Blech.
So, my green-team house, where I use only hippie cleaners, where I would never so much as spray Febreeze due to the nasty chemicals, is now being fumigated with Glade plug-ins. Barf.
(Heather: Aren’t you glad you decided not to come? I let you think you shouldn’t stay over because of your cold! Ha! Actually, you were saved from both the stench of rotting corpse and the flowery, inadequate, chemical cover up!
Emilie: Do you know how much I fretted over having a pregnant lady in my house last night? Bionic noses and delicate fetuses should probably avoid both stenches and copious air “freshening”)
So, there it is. I share this only because I brought it up at work and it seemed everyone had a gross dead animal story. I’m owning it, in hopes that if it happens to you, you’ll know you’re not alone. You’re welcome.
This conversation also happened:
SB: I saved the suit in case one of us ever has to crawl under there again.
Me: Honey, you should know that I’m NEVER crawling under there. NEH. VER.
SB: You’d just call someone to do it? What if Clark was stuck under there?
Me: Yeah, I’d still call someone. It’s called 911.
Ghaaaa. He is so brave. I could not ever do that.
This is reminding me of the Modern Family episode where Phil has to go under the house. Do you watch that show? You should google that episode!
I once had mice living in my wall. I kept hearing them scurry (I was up against a bunch of ivy and a fence) and my dog would bark and bark at the wall. Finally my phone crapped out and when the tech came out, he pulled out the insulation around the phone jack and it SMELLED like piss. Rodent piss. It was disgusting to say the least.
I will spare you the part about how I accidentally sucked up and killed a mouse with my vacuum hose.
Oh Jenny! What a trooper Aaron is. WOW. Still in the pit, but slowly crawling my way out. As you see, I can now use a computer without puking! Yeah for baby steps.
Random but true tidbit. My friends had a rat die in their walls and had the same long battle to try to hunt down the cause of the stench. They finally figured out where it was by releasing a jar of flies (I do not know how they acquired said flies), that promptly flew RIGHT to the spot of contamination. They then sawed through the ceiling right at that spot, and down came the circle of drywall, the insulation, and THE RAT. Just an idea…. But be prepared for the possibility of falling rat corpses!
Now you can use the suit to make a halloween costume!
aah, can really feel the nerves as Aaron climbed under the house and I’m all tense.
and….eek speaking as someone with a severe rodent phobia and as someone who caught 8 dead mice last year in her house (well Jason did) all your friend’s comments sound horrific to deal with. I truly hope you dont have a dead rat in your wall and have to source flies to find it. eeek again.
I normally read your posts before I go to bed, cant we just have more cute pictures of Clark please.
incidentally we went to rural Wales camping last week and Woody decided to do a poo in a field, within minutes it was swarming with flies just in case you need any advice on fly catching. sweet dreams.
Isn’t lucky being preggers has also given me the gift of allergies? I didn’t smell a thing.
No worries here! Though, next time, please arrange to have Aaron wear the suit. I will laugh and laugh and it will be perfect.
Ride it out. The corpse will dry up as will the smell and for it you will be one less home project involving dust and drywall.
BTW…I am completely consumed with the idea that you can go under your house! I suppose this means there is no cellar or basement. Kind of amazing.
Good Luck.
xoxo
Ee-yew. Did I tell you about my friends who found a mummified boa constrictor in their walls? Here’s hoping that it’s all resolved soon. Love you.
Oh, I’m glad we missed it. I loathe Glade plug-ins. The last rental we lived in had them everywhere when we first moved in, so I trashed them all of course. After a few days the smell of dog pee was overwhelming and unescapable. Our cheap landlady had Danny try gallons of pet stain/odor stuff, but eventually had to replace all the carpet.