The Big Stink 2008

Sophie wants you all to know it wasn't her fault this time.

Have you ever heard the expression, "It smells like something curled up and died"? Well, I now know EXACTLY what that smells like.

So, one day last week, DH was out and about helping a neighbor deal with a car thing. While he was gone, I kept hearing a scratching, clawing, thumping noise coming from our fireplace. The flume thingy is stuck closed so I knew it couldn't possibly make its way completely down the chimney, but it was unnerving nonetheless. I just hoped, whatever it was, would somehow find its way out.

It finally stopped making noise a few hours later. Told DH about it, he thought it was a bird, I thought it was a chipmunk. Well, a few days ago I woke up and as I walked downstairs smelled this sour, stale smell. Called DH later in the day and of course he didn't smell a thing.

Well, I called home yesterday afternoon to check in and DH said he definitely smelled the "odor" and agreed with my conclusion that it was our "friend" from the chimney. DH said he did some research on the interweb and that the smell would eventually go away and that he lit candles, so not to worry.
I get home a few hours later.

Oh

my

gawd....

The smell that hit me when I got home from work was HORRIBLE!! Now it smelled like death trying to be covered with the scent of three different candles (evergreen, mulled harvest, and a spring meadow). Kind of like those bathroom sprays that don't really cover the "odor." Thank goodness the smell was pretty much contained to the downstairs den area only-and all my yarn was upstairs in the craft/crap room- and we could go upstairs to escape the stench.

Thinking back to dealing with the skunk smell of 2007, I remembered how placing bowls of vinegar or bowls of coffee grounds was suppose to neutralize the odor. I figured it couldn't hurt in this case either. So we set up a big bowl of coffee grounds (both used and unused) and it really worked!
DH added a second bowl of the coffee grounds today and I haven't gagged once since I've been home! Here's hoping the smell completely goes away soon!

P.S.
I'm pretty sure it my weekly soup recipe will be posted on Sunday this week.