This Stinks!

Lately, the "sewer truck" appropriately labeled "Git-R-Clean" on it's boom/arm, has been out in our neighborhood cleaning out the city sewers. They were in front of the neighbor's house yesterday, vacuuming out all the "stuff" while the kids were over there playing. They were fascinated with this big red truck and the big hole that they put the hose down into. It was all we could do to keep the kids away from wanting to see the "poopy water" in the hole. The neighboring house's sewer line hooks into a new sewer line servicing a new housing development. So, there probably wasn't as much "stuff" to clean out, since there are only four homes built in the development (one of which hasn't had occupants until last week). The truck finished its job and moved on to another sewer hole.

Well, today they were back, doing the one in front of our house. The sewer line that our home hooks into, T's into the one on Main Street, not into the one in the new sub-division behind us. I don't know if that made a difference, but I do know they were out there for a lot longer with their hose down the sewer hole. At one time, I went down the stairs into our unfinished basement to look for something. About three footsteps off the landing, I was hit with the stinkiest smell...I couldn't figure out what it was. I wandered further in and realized it was stronger in the craft room. It didn't take me long to realize what it was. I could hear running water in the black pipe which runs out from the house aside the craft room wall. That was the sewer pipe, and somehow the toxic gases were releasing into my basement. YUCKO! It was like being in an oversized porta-potty. I worried about a leak, but could find one. It didn't even stink right next to the pipe, only as I moved away from it. I called Darin at work to inform him of the situation. He had me open all the windows/doors in the basement to "air" it out. He also had me run out to talk to the guys with the truck and explain what was happening; to find out if this was normal. They said it happens sometimes. Apparently, there was a lot of "grease" out in the sewer line out in front of our house. (Our house is at the bottom of the hill where the street and sewer line "plains" off before tapping off to the Main Street line. Essentially, all the stuff comes down the pipe from the houses up above and settles a little where it plains...right in front of our house.) They had to work on it a little longer to get it broken up and out. They apologized and said that it would eventually go away.

I went back down into the basement to investigate, which was a mistake. Aside from all the time I was down there the first time, my throat and lungs started burning. I was coughing a lot and not feeling so well. I ran back upstairs and decided to venture down later to close the windows and doors. At about that time, Dakota needed help on the computer, so I went over to her. As I was leaning over by her to work the mouse and keyboard, Dakota started pulling a face and sniffing. She leaned over and smelled me. "Ooh, Mom, you stink!" "What?", I said. She said again, "You smell!" and she plugged her nose. I told her I had been downstairs with the stinky sewer gases and I guess they just stuck to me. I continued to help her with her computer game, and she proceeded to inform me several more times that I stunk. I thanked her for her honesty and told her if she wanted more help she'd just have to live with it for the moment. She plugged her nose, sniffing ever so often my hand that was operating the mouse. When I backed away from her, she said, "Oh good!" (I'm sure referring to the fact that I, my stinky self, would no longer need to be next to her...not that her game was up and running on the computer.) I lathered on some yummy Bath and Body Works lotion hoping that would help. I didn't have time to shower...again.

Ooh, I hope no one else I met today could smell me coming. I'll never know if those at the grocery store (including the checker ladies at the register and the half-homeless guy buying a can of soup and a bag of apples), or the librarian who checked my books back in, or the neighbor's dogs for that matter, wondered if I had poor hygiene, or had an accident, or was sporting a new "fragrance". Let's see...what would that fragrance be named??? I better not go there!!! Regardless, I kept "catching" whiffs of myself throughout the day. You don't forget a smell like that quickly. Maybe it was burned onto my nostril hairs. I sniff my sweater now to see if anything remains. Brooklyn just got out of the bathtub. Let's ask her:

"Brooklyn, come here and smell me. Does my hair smell like sewer water? My sweater?"

She sniffs.

I wait....

"No. You smell quite good, actually!"

"Oh, good!", I say. She would detect anything stinky haven just cleaned up herself.

So, I guess I won't gross anybody out as we sit to eat our chicken enchiladas for dinner. Now, if I could just get that smell out of my "head". This stinks!