Sunday, July 11, 2010

A Day That Won't Be Forgotten

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Yesterday we had one of those days I know I'm not going to forget.

When we woke up yesterday morning, we came out to our living room and the whole house smelled like skunk. Really strong, smelly skunk. It smelled so bad, I thought a skunk had crawled under our house and died.

The night before I had listed a bunch of our furniture for sale on Craigslist. I had about 15 people scheduled to come over to see about buying all of our nice furniture from our old house. We just moved all of our furniture from Pasadena, and it was all stored in our garage. In the few months that we were living at this new house, I had bought a bunch of furniture on Craigslist...so there was no room in the house for our old furniture. Hence, the garage was piled high from floor to ceiling with everything...dining chairs, table, bookshelves, clothing, baby stuff, books, photos frames, suitcases, rugs...just everything.

I went outside to see where the skunk smell was coming from, and it was pretty darn clear. That smell was coming from INSIDE the garage.

I had been noticing a cat had been going in and out of the little door opening in our garage for the past few days. I now realize that it was not a cat. It was a skunk.

The skunk sprayed the entire contents of our garage...all of our furniture...and everything I was selling on Craigslist. I am not sure what set him off. Maybe all the fireworks our neighbors are still setting off at night?

Meanwhile, we had planned mid-day to go to Santa Monica to see a dishwasher this lady was selling on Craigslist. We loaded both girls in the car (we all had to go because we were going to be moving it down a few flights of stairs and Mr. Mustard needed my help). Well, because of traffic (and now I remember why I can't stand Santa Monica), it took us about an hour to get to the house. Then, no one was home! So, we waited half an hour, and the lady wasn't there...so then we got back in the car and headed home with nothing to show for our little two hour detour in the car.

We stopped for lunch, and then Paprika had been begging...begging to go to the beach. So, we said okay and went home and grabbed our suits. Just as we were pulling up to the beach, and it started pouring rain. In the middle of July, in beautiful sunny Southern California, where it almost never rains, the sky opened up and the floodgates started pouring down on us. Paprika was like, "I don't CARE if it's raining! Let's go to the beach anyway!"

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So...we did. We went to the beach in the pouring rain. And then, eventually, it stopped raining, thank goodness. And then we went and got freshly made ice cream. Chocolate with sprinkles. Paprika's favorite. That was good.

But all those Craigslist people? Some came by to see the furniture. But no one bought anything. And after smelling our house, I would say, I wouldn't have bought anything either. They probably had to brace themselves not to throw up on our floor.

We have been trying everything to get the skunky smell out, but...nothing is working. So, we have our windows open, our scented candles burning...and we're learning to live with the funk of the skunk.

Good times!

7 comments:

Lisa said...

Pee-Yew!!! It's bad enough when your dog gets sprayed, at least you can wash it in tomato sauce. What do you do when it's your furniture???

Lauren said...

Ah man, what a day! That sucks about your furniture you're trying to sell. Do you think over time, the smell will come out of the furniture and you can sell it?

FourJedis said...

Geez Louise! I'm sorry that the skunk invaded... why can't roses invade or something pretty like that? I love that Paprika's beautiful spirit can make any otherwise dreary day a great one.

Anonymous said...

oh barf skunk!!!!! we have raccoon issues due to our proximity to the woods, but i will not be complaining about them for a while due to your skunk story. i am so sorry!

ferfischer said...

Oh man - I think you're going to have an awful time getting rid of that stuff now! I'm not sure of a good remedy for skunk smell - maybe airing everything out for several days in your yard!

Amee said...

Praying for you and sending ((hugs)) as you remember and celebrate v&a's lives today and every day...

Mimi said...

Aren't kids great?!
I called by just to say that I didn't forget you today, and hope you got through ok.
Re the smell, if you can get your hands on some essential oil (ie aromatherapy), like lavender, lemon or grapefruit, put 10 drops on a tissue and tuck it behind a radiator...oops, maybe you don't have radiators in Cal, then put it on a windowsill but out of reach of the children. The oil will evaporate in the heat, and will get rid of the smell. You can do this in every room if you like.