Friday for me

Good morning I’m glad that my work week is done after today.  Thus far the past two days have been enough for me.  I saw a video about retirement at age 55 and after the past two days I’m ready.  Sadly it’s not an option for me but I really wish it was. 

There was some drama yesterday afternoon with one of vendors and it caused me to have to jump on a conference call because the boss loves to hear himself talk.  Turns out by the time we all got connected the issue resolved its self.  So he got enough momentum to sound the big alarms to everyone and then once he did that everything went back to normal.  That’s about the luck I have. 

I feel trapped both in work and in life in general and honestly want out.  I have no plans to make that happen but just a general disgusted feeling as well as being tired and worn out.  A few days off will rejuvenate me but as soon as next Monday rolls around all of that said rejuvenation will be gone, that’s just how it works. 

It was much warmer yesterday here we were in the upper 60’s and it would have been awesome to open the windows and I wish I would have.  However, I didn’t want to deal with all of the excitement that it brings to the cats.  Were supposed to have another nice day today and if that does materialize I for sure plan to open the windows and deal with the furry monsters.  This odor is horrible, about the time I think it’s gone my nose picks it back up.  Kind of makes me wonder if I am going insane. 

Last night I was super bored and decided to check out a new show on A&E called Crime In Progress.  Wow the first episode a New Mexico State Trooper was executed, it was a cowardly act.  This all took place back in 2024.  They caught the guy who did it and he got life in prison.  The show kept me on the edge of my seat and made me glad that I’m not a cop.  It was a routine call and the Trooper had no idea that things were going sideways, it happened quickly.  I watched the show via the A&E app and had to put up with commercials despite the fact that I pay for A&E as part of my TV package, which I didn’t like but it didn’t stop me from watching.  If you like true crime or law enforcement shows, this one is for you. 

Had store bought Spaghetti & Meatballs last night.  I layered it with an Italian blend of shredded cheese and it was good.  More than I needed but I enjoyed it.  Had some cookies and milk a bit later for desert. 

That was my day.  My allergies from this odor are kicking in so I am going to head up and get some extra meds on board and see what else the day has instore.  Thus far only 1 meeting much later in the day with a vendor.  Our regular BS meetings thus far haven’t popped up this week but I suspect they will be back next week.  So not looking forward to truly getting back to normal, but I know that in the end it’s good for me despite the stress it brings. 

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Thanks for stopping by!

Best plans

Well Red Lobster didn’t happen because I decided to clean and reboot my computer before I walked away.  That tied me up for the rest of the evening.  I wound up making one of the Tombstone Pizza’s that I have.  It was okay but certainly not what I wanted for supper and not the way I wanted to spend my evening. 

My right shoulder is bothering me from all of the typing and being tense & aggravated as I worked through the problems.  My back misses a regular massage and while I am trying to cope I might just have to break down and find a new massage therapist despite not wanting to. 

My mistake making colleague called in sick today, which I fully expected.  What I didn’t expect is for him to leave me with a heaping pile of mistakes to fix all of which were urgent.  I got through that mess and sent him a sharply worded email that basically says do your fucking job I’m tired of cleaning up after you.  I didn’t use those words but I was professional about it. 

The boss appears to be out and my other colleague had an appointment this morning and should be back shortly.  I’ve been the sole point of contact for our team and while I am not on-call it’s felt like it. 

I’ve got some strange odor in the house that started yesterday afternoon it’s growing a little stronger.  Not sure what is going on but the good news is that the temperatures will be warmer today so I plan to open some windows and get some fresh air in here.  Kind of smells like something died maybe it’s one of the raccoons under the deck, all I know is that I need the odor to leave quickly it’s disturbing. 

So much for a better 2026, were off to a rocky start.  However, I reminded myself I only have 2 days left to work this week that helps a little bit.  Looking forward to what I hope is a more relaxing afternoon and a nice shave & shower this evening.  Until then I need to grin and bare it. 

Hope all is well in your world!

Magic Mike 3

  Hello again!  I’m super horny today and seeing this hot guy photo makes me think all sorts of impure thoughts!  He sure is gorgeous!  Speaking of which I saw an advertisement there is another Magic Mike Movie that will be out February 10th in theatres.  I’ll probably go see it and who knows maybe that is where I will meet a guy.  Doubtful but still possible. 

My hormones are in overdrive because I organized more porn yesterday, this time it was scenes into their respective studio folders.  I am a neat nick and like to have things just so so.  I’ve been that way for most of my life.  It’s a habit that I picked up when I was young.  Not sure about you but I get the urge to clean and then regardless if something needs cleaning or not, I start and I don’t stop until I drop.  It’s like a burst of energy & desire hits me and away I go. 

Yesterday was stressful and a very late day.  That was mostly because my dumb co-worker was sick along with his entire family.  Today he’s better but his kid is still sick so he has to be a caretaker.  I’ve got no sympathy for him.  He’s the guy who ditched me when I needed someone to talk to as Gator was dying.  He doesn’t deal with grief.  Ever since then I have held a grudge and really don’t care much for him.  I’d like to get over that but I just can’t bring myself to let it go.  Mostly because we have talked about unpleasant things like death in the past I lost 2 cats and he lost a pet as well.  It wasn’t a problem then.  However, now all of a sudden it is.  I don’t buy it at all.  You can’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.  He fucked me over and that’s not something I can just sweep under the rug and pretend like it never happened.  As a result our so called “friendship” has suffered.  We used to talk multiple times per day about any and everything, now we hardly talk at all and if so it’s all related to business.  He is very much a co-worker in my book now and NOT a friend.  I still say that if I ever meet him in person I’m going to kick him in the nuts and even that probably wouldn’t make me terribly happy. I really wish this situation would have never presented it’s self, we really had a good thing going.  I also wish that I kind of knew this in advance so I wouldn’t have invested so much time and shared so many deeply personal details with this person.  I can’t exactly hit the delete or forget button, it doesn’t work that way.  This is just another reminder to me that co-workers really are not your friends no matter how much they present to be or how much I’d like them to be, it just isn’t so.  That’s not to say that you can’t make a true genuine friend at work, it’s just very rare these days. 

The morning is going to be busy since were short staffed.  However, I just looked at my calendar and I’m good after lunch, nothing planned or scheduled.  I might take some extra time then.  Thus far late evenings means little time to relax, spend with the cats and before you know it I’m right back here working again. 

My back is killing me again and I have been getting some headaches.  My back is due to being in front of the computer and my sedentary lifestyle and because the cats like to sleep with me so I get to sleep in interesting positions.  The headaches are related to this damn smell and the aggravation of my sinuses.  The smell appears to be decreasing a bit or so I think.  I’ve got so many scent cover ups in place it’s honestly hard to tell.  Between the cover ups like air fresheners and candles as well as the smell it’s self my sinuses/allergies are a mess.  I will be happier when or if this smell ever leaves. 

I’m really looking forward to the weekend.  Just not having to be in front of this machine, being able to sleep in a little bit.  I need to get to the post office during working hours, which I think is doable.  I look forward to eating out both for breakfast and an evening meal.  I’m thinking this will be a pizza weekend just not sure if I will stay local or travel.  Something to think about.  There is a steakhouse that I’d like to visit as well so I might do that instead.  Not that I would eat steak.  They have some large onion rings that look so damn good.  It’s a long drive for just that.  I might do it but they don’t open until 4 in the afternoon.  Whereas the pizza places are all open at 11a so I could go anytime.  I have to be mindful that I am on-call but typically it’s radio silence but I don’t like to tempt fate. 

I’ve got 1 prescription showing up today from Amazon and the other one should come rolling in tomorrow.  Not sure why it took them so long to get them in a state where I could fill them but I knew that it would all work out eventually.  The post office has my other sleeping medicine but with the new pharmacy it looks like I have to sign for it.  I’ve got a signature on file with the post office for minor items so not exactly sure if it will be waiting for me in my box or if they will actually make me sign, either way I plan to get there during working hours so it won’t be a problem. 

The trash people were supposed to be pushing their route back by 1 day which means that trash day would be Saturday.  I’ve yet to get an automated phone call and unless I hear otherwise I plan to put trash out on my normal pickup day.  I would rather it sit there an extra day than run the risk of missing pickup all together.  Having cats makes for extra trash and well it doesn’t smell like roses or a variation thereof.  Oddly by myself I could miss 1 or probably 2 pickups before the bin was overflowing but I never tried that.  I remember with Gator we miss a pickup once and it was pretty close to filling up, she was tiny compared to the 2 monsters I have now. 

Speaking of the monsters they seem to have adjusted really well to their new home.  I found some puke last night so I know it’s not the old dry food that was causing this.  I think it’s from frequent grooming.  I need to have some time to break out the brush and go over both of them really well.  Hopefully they permit it and that helps to clear this up.  I’m not used to what I call full blown maintenance in that you have to brush the cat at least 1 time per week, you have to take time each day to play, you have to do this and that.  I’m old and after working all day the last thing I want to do is brush a cat or play.  I know it’s all part of what I signed up for.  Which proves I really didn’t think my decision all the way through.  I know I’ve got the option to throw my hands up and walk away at anytime but I didn’t get them to just throw in the towel.  I like the way Rudy looks at me, it’s like he sees into my soul and knows how much I am hurting.  He is always the one to greet me on the steps when I open the door and he chatters a bit.  He actually looks more forward to seeing me than his sister.  However, I’ve started to enjoy seeing them both and coming home to them be it from a day downstairs working or leaving and returning home is honestly something I look forward to. 

As for me & my depression, I still miss my family and I’m sure that is a feeling that will be with me as long as long as I am alive.  I really do hope there is an afterlife and that we get to see each other again but I’ve got mixed feelings if that will actually happen or not.  I won’t say I am over Gator’s loss but it still all seems surreal.  Last night I saw a cat come in my room and it was a reaction where I said hi Gator.  That bothered me but I realize it’s also completely normal.  I get periods of being lonely that I never really had much of while Gator was alive.  That’s when I long to be around people, especially someone who knows my name.  I am limited on where I can go to make that happen and I don’t want to wear out my welcome or be a burden for anyone.  I feel like I am a bother despite people telling me I am not.  I’m hopeful that I can make it through the weekend w/o any issues.  As for therapy I do think I am done with the therapist I was seeing.  If I feel the need to continue I will seek out a different person.  She is just too strange of a person for me, she seems overly paranoid and has way too many demands that she places on clients.  I deal with enough issues in life and I am just not wiling to play her games.  It was nice that I was able to see someone quickly and talk a few times, that helped a little bit.

First day of February.  I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day just because it’s a reminder that I am alone, but it’s my hope that next year I have someone to celebrate with.  I’ve had that hope for many years now it would be nice if it came true. 

Well time to get ready for a meeting where we all hold hands and plan to plan and talk in circles.  I’d sooner stick my head in a wood chipper.  Were short staffed and the last thing we have time for is a meeting but this goes to my point where my boss just loves meetings and to hear the sound of his own voice. 

I hope that the week is going good for you.  Hang in there, stay warm and be well.  Talk with you all again soon.

Happy Friday :)

I am so glad today is finally here. Tomorrow can be a day of rest or whatever it is I want without having to worry about work. It’s been a rough week. I am finally caught up and have a bit of time on my hands. I am not advertising that and just basking in the relaxation of it all. Kind of feels like I earned it. This is a bit more of what I am used to in a normal day and it feels quite refreshing. It does make for a bit of a longer day but that’s okay.

I finally am caught up on personal email and porn surfing. My doctor finally sent in my prescription requests. I’ve had to call the new Pharmacy 3 times. First an order was on hold. They want a physical address for controlled substances so I gave them that. Second, I saw one of the medicines I take had a renewal price of $1,500 for a 90-day supply. That freaked me out and I got confirmation that it was a mistake and my normal pricing applies. Third, this morning again because an order was on hold. It was over the physical address thing. I modified my address yesterday to include my po box but left the physical street address alone. That caused the order to flag as if there wasn’t a physical address on file but everyone apparently understands what I did and they will ship to the po box. I hope that is all of the calls I have to make to them. One thing I don’t like is they reference numbers instead of the medication name in all of the emails they send me. The last pharmacy had an option where you could specify either send #’s or the name. I wish they had this because a # means nothing to me since they are randomly assigned, perhaps that will be a future enhancement.

I get to call Amazon Pharmacy next and so don’t look forward to that. All I want is my medicine and I don’t get why it requires so much effort on my part. However, I will work through it and I am certain everything will show up eventually just as long as it’s before I run out of anything.

Last night I watched some old music videos via YouTube. That was kind of refreshing and a blast from the past. I kind of enjoy music from when I grew up a bit more now than when I was actually growing up and the tunes were coming out.

Morea got into what used to be Gator’s bed in my room for the 2^nd time. Her and her brother had some issues last night where they weren’t getting along for a short period of time. I don’t deal with that really well with that and they know it upsets me. I tried to offer Morea some shelter since he was attacking her but she was confused as to what to do but eventually she got close enough and I was able to scoop her up. They go from sweet to sour in the blink of an eye. They both seem to have a bunch of energy and want to play a lot typically when I first get up and then in the afternoon/evening. They both sleep a lot as well.

I found myself having a bad dream trying to escape from a snake and when I woke up both of them were in bed with me sleeping. I was in the fetal position to accommodate their presence. That was odd. I had to get up for an hour and then went back to bed. The trash trucks came rolling in and that last hour to sleep in went by super-fast. Needless to say, I didn’t want to get up and get moving but I knew it was a requirement so I pushed through it.

The first few hours of the morning were nice and quiet so I was super productive which is what got me all caught up. I am eager to take a break and go back upstairs to the 2 fur balls but I know as soon as I do something like that all hell will break loose and I will need to come right back down.

I feel pretty well back to normal but my sinuses are bothering me a bit. I think its related to this smell in the house. It is supposed to warm up outside today and tomorrow so we get a bit of a break and then come Monday it’s back to the freezer. As long as the furnace isn’t running as much that should permit the smell to calm down and then all should be well. I can’t really express in words how frustrating this is and how tired I am of smells. No doubt most of it from the mouse issue that I had. Getting rid of them is pretty easy when you enlist a pro but no one does clean up after they are gone. I really wish they were never here and then this whole smell issue wouldn’t be a thing or so I think.

Plans for the weekend include sleeping & napping, hopefully some vacuuming, dining out, cat food shopping and getting mail. I’m thinking of hitting up a new place for breakfast tomorrow and then going to visit some friends. Kind of depends on how early I wake up and what I feel like.

Two days will go by so damn fast but for some reason I really and always have cherished a Friday night. It’s a special time that has always been the best part of starting a weekend. Kind of like the middle of a Cinnamon Roll, the very best part.

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks that I have taken in the new cats. It’s been an interesting 2 weeks and like all other points in time it’s gone by very fast. We seemed to have gotten used to each other pretty well or so I think. It kind of struck me last night that this is a new beginning in my life a point in time where I am truly walking on my own and have no support wires. Yeah, I was on my own 10 years ago when I was left with 7 cats but they were mine and I knew them from day 1 so it’s not quite the same thing. These cats are strangers that I have got to know and am still getting to know. It feels odd and while I think I rushed into this and say that I don’t want them, I know that life would be lonelier without them. I don’t like them under my feet or in my way. I’m not used to an in your face type cat and they both can get like that but Rudy seems to be the leader of the pack. He’s almost tripped me 2 times. If I fall down because of that damn cat, I will be super pissed, I just hope if it happens that I don’t hurt him or myself. I’ve always watched my back when moving with food even when I was the only person in the house because it became a habit, I’m glad that I haven’t grown out of that because it’s quite useful now more than ever. I’d say they both have imprinted on me and each one enjoys time alone with me. I’m kind of surprised and proud of myself at the same time. It all still feels like a dream despite it being real life.

My main hope and desire are that things keep going well not just with the cats but with life in general. I am looking for this year to be the year of positive change to make me happy or happier. My theme for this year will be the year of change/moving on. I’d love to find a companion and as always, I am on the prowl looking to find out who I can meet up with.

Love seems to be a game full of more challenges but once you find true love, I think it’s easier to keep it going than it is to start the search over. I know that entering into searching for a companion comes with quite a bunch of obstacles and challenges but I look at all of the things I’ve overcome thus far and this I think is my greatest challenge yet. If I can master this then I think everything else in life will just fall into place. Don’t get me wrong it’s not going to be all roses and rainbows but as long as the good outweighs the bad then it’s totally worth it.

Well I seemed to have cursed myself with this calm talk because all hell has broken loose so back to the fun. Happy Friday I hope that you have a great weekend, relax and pamper yourself life is too short & your worth it!

Another average weekend

Hello … It’s been an average weekend.  I got my hair cut and managed to get my neck shaved for free.  The lady that cuts my hair is used to shaving my neck and thought that I ordered that service but I didn’t.  It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I got something for free.  I received the CC&R’s for my HOA in the mail from the local county government.  They are so old they were printed on a dot matrix printer and the only real way I will be able to read them is to scan them in and then magnify the page.  It will be some interesting reading when I get around to it but just not in the mood right now. 

Spent some nap time with Gator, we both enjoyed that.  I ventured out to get a pizza yesterday.  The waiter I have a crush on and want to ask out is now a manager and no longer works the front of the house.  The last time I went the place was empty.  This time it was packed to the brim.  I got in just before the crowd hit.  I spotted a cute guy but he was married, it was nice to look.  Finally my pizza came out.  It looked like it was cut by an alien or someone who didn’t know how in the world to cut pizza.  A few pieces were double size, others were smaller than they should have been.  I got what I ordered and it was good so I didn’t complain.  Since they were packed I wasn’t as well taken care of as I could have been but I didn’t have a dry glass so that in my book is a win. 

Put the pizza away when I got home and fed Gator.  She had moved to the couch so that is where I fed her.  I skipped her pro-biotic yesterday.  It was just an extra effort on my part and I didn’t want to mess with it.  She got her pill and then it was time for bed.  I got her in my lap and she was resting soundly when suddenly she woke up and let me know that she needed down.  She waddled over to the litter box in the hall way and had some diarrhea and it was grey.  She looked way out of sorts and I got her and the litter box cleaned up.  She was confused.  Something like this happened earlier in the year but it was a 1 time thing.  It’s something to be seriously watchful for because more than once indicates a problem.  Its most likely an infection but can also be the result of liver/kidney issues.  I gave her a full dose of fluids which her body just gobbled up.  Once that was done I picked her up and she managed to fall asleep in my lap and was okay.  I got her some food before I went to bed and she ate.  I got her more in the middle of the night when she woke me up twice. 

She is still eating this morning.  I checked and more junk worked its way out of her system overnight.  I am cautiously optimistic and keeping an eye on her.  I think were okay but if not the vet is close by.  I don’t want to go over for a papercut but if there is something seriously wrong with her then I don’t want to delay care.  Right now she is pretty well normal drinking, eating and sleeping.  She did get some new food formulated for urinary tract health and perhaps that along with the absence of her pro-biotic threw her system off.

Woke up for breakfast this morning.  I got my food it wasn’t exactly as I ordered it but I ate it anyway.  My waitress was an older lady who seems to have an attitude.  We have gotten along in the past but lately when she sees me her whole demeanor changes.  This morning instead of focusing on me to take my order, she cleared a table and didn’t bother to write down what I asked for.  That’s why I got the surprise I did.  I’m very polite and easy to deal with, I don’t complain unless there is something wrong.  Kind of strange and I am starting to think perhaps it’s time to stop going for breakfast.  Last week it was the good looking kid who fucked up my order, he was nice but I always have issues with him.  This week the crabby old lady.  I sure do miss the easy days of Steak N Shake where it was a bowl of chili, a burger and a soda for breakfast.  That all went together so well and now they no longer serve breakfast.  There aren’t many places close that do serve breakfast.  However, I can drive a little ways to get some different food, which is something I am considering for next weekend.  Eating out on the weekends is my treat to myself and Breakfast is my favorite meal of them all. 

There is a strange odor back, it started yesterday afternoon in my room.  It’s that gasoline like smell that happens.  I was thinking to myself yesterday morning that the house hasn’t smelled bad for a while and it’s like that was the jinx.  I have no idea what it is.  There have been no further mice catches and I haven’t seen any.  I’ve got an odor bag that I am going to deploy and I am burning a candle in my room in the hopes of downing out the smell.  I was convinced something had died under my bed but I checked and nope.  The only other place is my closet and but it’s odd for this to start out of the blue when it’s been quiet for a while.  The only thing about cold weather that I like is that is the one time of year there are no odors in my home unless I burn a pizza.  I hate not knowing the source of an odor and trying to track down the source is even worse. 

I tried out my new face brush and there is nothing sonic about it.  It’s just a brush that spins in a circle really fast by default or you can slow it down.  Not 100% that I am going to keep it.  I dug out my old Clarasonic and found a fresh brush for it.  I am trying to charge it and if the charge takes then I will keep it juiced up and switch back to it.  Otherwise I guess I will stay with the circular brush.  The extra help made me feel like my face was really clean and it did feel good but it times out quickly so I had to run it like 3 cycles before I was happy that I got all of my face. 

Made it through the grocery store this morning, they have once again moved things around.  Cereal is back to where it used to be but they didn’t have any Chocolate Oatmeal.  I really bought next to nothing and that was evident by the $58 that I spent.  I never get out of there for less than $80 normally.  I got some cat food for Gator.  I resisted the sweets I normally get although I did grab a box of donuts.  It’s going to be a tough week for me with next to nothing sweet to snack on.  However, I am serious about loosing weight.  It won’t be fun or easy.  I will be upset when I can’t find something to curb my sweet tooth but then again I can’t gain weight by eating something I don’t have.  It will be a punishment but also a test to my will power.  I will either make it or break down and go buy something.  I needed to get to Sam’s but I purposely stayed away because they have a bakery that I just can’t seem to pass up. 

Here’s hoping that it’s an okay week and we all survive.  Turning over a new month and that always means extra work for me with stats to gather and reports to compile.  I fucking hate it.  I also need to work on the on-call schedule and really don’t want to do that either.  However, it will all come together eventually. 

Cheers!

Procrastination

I like to put things off if I can.  Last night I really didn’t want to work so I will be doing last nights work today, eventually.  Instead I wanted to get upstairs to my furry lady and see what she was up to. 

She loves the treats I bought.  They were called Crabby Crab.  Kind of makes me think back to the saying, you are what you eat.  Anyway she gobbled the small amount I put out up from the plate but managed to leave a little bit.  I set those on the floor.  This morning I heard her crunching away. 

She still woke me up a couple times during the night and I gave into my wild desires to cram food in my face.  I ate a whole sleeve of Oreo’s from a family pack, 3 Reese's Peanut Butter cups, finished off a bag of gummy bears and washed it all down with 2 Diet Mountain Dews.  I went back to bed and had quite the stomach ache, as you would imagine.  I didn’t have high self esteem after I did it but it was a sugar craving that I just couldn’t brush aside, it felt like my blood sugar was dropping and I didn’t feel the best before this started either.  Probably because I skipped having desert. 

I woke up this morning to find her sleeping.  I managed to tip toe to the bathroom and then back to bed once.  I tried it a few hours later a second time but that failed and I managed to wake her up.  I fed her and then had some breakfast myself.  It wasn’t terribly long before I got moving. 

Made it to the grocery store by 9:30a.  I dropped well over $100.  I don’t think I got much in the grand scheme of things but I did get most of the items I wanted.  On that list was a Carrot Cake.  I normally buy a slice of that and one of German Chocolate.  They go for around $4 a slice but it’s cheaper to buy 1/2 of a cake.  A whole cake is what I was actually looking at but they wanted $16 and that just seemed a bit absurd.  Besides that it’s not like I really need any of it so 1/2 shall do.  Picked up some Gator food as well that was $12 by it’s self.  It was flavors that she likes but they didn’t have at the pet food store. 

I also tested my theory on the Probiotic.  I put 1/2 of the pouch on the first can I gave her and then when I got back from the store she wanted more, so I put the remainder of the pouch on the 2nd can of food.  She ate both of them like she was the Tasmanian Devil trying to inhale as fast as she could.  It’s really odd that she likes this stuff but I am thankful for it.  When she was younger she didn’t care for it much.  Her sister was the only one in the family that really went nuts for it. 

Remember that mouse we saw at the first of last month?  Well I think I found it.  It’s somewhere in the walls of the house.  I say that because when it heats up outside my house smells a bit like gasoline.  I checked online and a decaying rodent can smell like this.  It seems like it’s a smell that I can’t escape.  It is also very much bothering my allergies and I have to take extra medicine to combat all of the symptoms, which makes me drink even more water than I normally do.  When I was driving yesterday in the car it smelled the same way.  I rolled down the windows but as soon as I rolled them back up the smell returned.  I do think my brain is playing tricks on me.  I’m not knocking down walls to try to find the damn thing.  It should be about 2 weeks and then the odor should start to dissipate and I do suppose that is dependent upon warm temperatures because when we have a cold night the next day everything is back to normal.  Very strange but I think back to last year and the year before that when I had a unknown odor it was the mice living in my house.  Not that I’ve found and closed their door the problem is done just have to get rid of this smell and then hopefully I am done with strange/foul odors.  Fingers crossed.  Experiences like this add to my strong desire to sell this place and move. 

I thought I solved my Mophie battery pack issues with the exchange.  However, last night I had discharged a good portion of my device battery and most but not all of the Mophie’s.  I placed it on the magnetic charger that I always use and it started chiming going between charge and not charging.  It was stuck in a loop.  I tried my old charger but the same thing happened.  I knew that I could plug it in and that would solve the problem but I wanted to charge wirelessly as I have.  I cleaned the charger, cleaned the new case.  Tried to charge the phone wirelessly by it’s self, which worked.  Charged the Mophie by it’s self wirelessly and that worked as well.  I checked cables, rebooted the phone, the chargers and was at my wits end.  I looked for help on line using my phone found a couple tips, tried them to no avail.  Gave up and just plugged the damn thing in and called it a night.  This morning when I woke up I was pissed to see my phone was at 99% charged when it’s normally at 100% and I actually slept in before I picked up the phone so there is no reason why it shouldn’t be at 100%.  I tried the car charger and got the same results with charge/not charging. 

I did some more research using my PC and found that this is a known problem and lots of people have complained about it.  The fix is to deplete the Mophie and then you can charge wirelessly.  None of my other Juice Packs worked like this so I am a bit miffed.  I just wiped my phone and tested to confirm that it wasn’t my phone or some setting or app at play.  No worries because it was all backed up, just have to wait for my data to come back down, which is a slow process.  So not happy!  I will try the known fix but it’s really difficult to deplete the Mophie because it gives you 23 extra hours of battery life and I don’t use my phone an insane amount but enough to deplete the battery where I can get a top off from my Mophie.  Besides that all batteries are only made to charge and discharge so many times.  I guess I see why they no longer make battery cases.  It’s now all about buying a mag safe case, then you can add an external mag safe battery pack, which appears to charge separate from the phone. 

Well that’s it for this fine Sunday.  I am going to get my work done and then get back upstairs to vacuum and be lazy for the rest of the afternoon to enjoy at least part of my Sunday away from the computer.  Still looks like I am going to be good to go back to the office on Tuesday but I am watching Gator and taking my lead from her.  I think the worst of this appetite thing has passed and things appear to be settling down some.  I don’t think that I will ever get a good nights sleep but as long as I get at least 7 hours I should be good, small price to pay to keep my furry lady in my life.

Sun is shining, it is set to be a nice Spring day and we lucked out on severe weather.  There is still rain in the forecast but doesn’t appear that there is any severe weather threat at this time.  I hope my girl gets to bask in the sun today and the week ahead is far better than the week I have just been through, even though I will be on-call again (drat).

Hope your doing well and that life is smiling on you.  Stay tuned and I will keep you informed of the developments of my life.  Be well and take care!

Friday & Saturday

Last year on Juneteenth we closed early, mostly because of the fear of protests even though most of us were locked away in our homes. This year we also closed even earlier and I had a ½ day of work. That was a really nice way to start the weekend. It kind of feels like a 3-day weekend even though it’s not it’s a 2 ½ day weekend. It will be interesting to see if we acknowledge the new federal holiday and perhaps close next year.

Since I had extra time on my hands, I had browsed YouTube for how to clean your A coil on your HVAC unit. Like most every other type of repair or improvement it seemed so simple in the video. I didn’t purchase any cleaner, which you can get at a home improvement store. I did take things apart inside and had the whole HVAC system shutdown for around an hour. I got to peek inside and what I was looking for was evidence of mold or a good coating of cat fur. I didn’t find either and from what little bit I saw things looked pretty good, but then again, I am not a professional. I did see rust but that is to be expected. In the process of taking things apart I had to disconnect the duct work to the flue. That was moderately difficult but a little more complex when it came time to put things back in place. I did manage to clean out a bunch of debris that had accumulated over the years. Perhaps that will mean a little better heating performance when we get to that time of year. I was proud of myself for the progress that I made. I didn’t break anything that I know of and I also didn’t have any left-over parts which is usually the case when I take something apart that I am unfamiliar with. It worked out that way for me when I was a kid as well.

Trying to chase down and eliminate this “unknown” odor has just about gotten the best of me. I think that this could be from a lack of fresh air entering the house and also the fact that I am here pretty much 24/7 so I tend to notice little things that I hadn’t before. Maybe someday when I just use this place as shelter to catch some sleep and resume commuting to the office this odor won’t be so noticeable. However, at a minimum I am stuck here until September. I have to see what my doc says but I have plans to be here through the winter and go back sometime next year, just have to see how it shakes out.

After the little adventure with the HVAC system, I was full of dust and it was time for a shower. I also needed a haircut so I broke out the clippers and went to work. I trimmed a little high around one ear and the back of course is no where near perfect but for a buzz cut, I think I did an okay job.

I did try to work in a nap because I got woke up by Ms. Lungs last night. I had problems going back to sleep and stayed up for a while. Wouldn’t you know it that she protested my trying to take a nap. I even shut her out of the bedroom and that is when she poured on the power and those lungs started working again. She was really upset and I just gave up and as soon as I was by her side she was fine. She wasn’t terribly pleased with my taking a shower as well. If it was up to her I would just be by her side 24/7 and everything would be fine for her. We have spent some time away from each other but now that it’s evening time we are back together.

My neck/shoulder is worse today and I have a knot in my scapula on the same shoulder. Every now and then I turn my head and it hurts, something pops and then it feels better for a second but the pain comes back. Hopefully, tomorrow things will be better.

It’s about time for my anti-virus subscription to renew. I would try something new. I heard great things about Bit Defender but then I heard of something even better called Vipre. They have been in the game for a while even though I never heard of them before and from the looks of things they appear to have a super solid product. I have a 30-day trial of both products. Bit Defender has a neat feature that looks for vulnerabilities in your system. On the laptop I am running this on there were a couple of Windows patches that it noticed were not installed and it took care of them. Vipre is running on my desktop, which is my newest machine and damn is all I can say. Norton sure was resource intensive, I knew that already but with many people complaining over the years they claimed to have improved. Based on what I am seeing on my machine now that Norton is gone it’s flying just like it was fresh out of the box. Vipre has the strongest reputation in the industry and they command a hell of a price for their product.

I’ve been a huge Norton/Symantec fan for years but I do see that other players in the game have different advantages and styles. Not sure who I will wind up going with but I do know that if you look around you can find deals on antivirus software pretty much year-round. Amazon is a good place to look. A lot of them will give you an introductory price but make it contingent on auto renewal. I install the product and then promptly turn auto renewal off. Rinse & Repeat for the following year. If you stick with the same product usually all you have to do is update the license/product key and you’re in business.

It’s bed time so I am going to save this and go try to get some sleep if the silly little cat will permit that. I have no idea what I want to do tomorrow outside of the usual Saturday running and getting something to eat. I am thinking of pizza but hey my taste buds could change. Speaking of which I am thinking of trying a subscription to Freshly. It’s a meal service, where you pick what you want, they ship the meals to you and you just heat them up in the microwave. It’s perfect for the single person or if you’re on the go. Plus, it’s all fresh and not frozen, cost is a little high but it would be a nice change from frozen tv dinners.

SATURDAY

I was able to relax a little bit and get some sleep but as per usual Lungs (my new nickname for Gator) had me up to feed her in the middle of the night. She permitted me to nap a little bit after I was up for the day and she stayed on the couch while I was in my bed. I think she gets just as tired of me as I do of her at times, but at the end of the day we love each other.

The paper published a story about a new place in town that does breakfast. If I can manage to pry myself out of bed at 7a I will be on the doorstep there. I’ve looked over the menu and damn they have plenty of good stuff to choose from. They do brunch as well and close at 2p each day. I checked this morning around 10a and the wait time was 2 hours. Now you see why I want to be there when they open. They are clearly in demand and with tomorrow being Father’s Day I am sure that everyone will want to take their dad out for breakfast.

I have another issue and reason for getting up early tomorrow and that’s work. We are doing monthly Microsoft server patching and I will need to login to do some tests to make sure things are working like they should be. This task doesn’t fall on weeks I am on-call often; you’d think that I set it up that way but not really. Used to be when I first started that I had this little task damn near every month and I hated it, because who wants to really get up early on the weekend? Not me.

I got out of bed at 1p and got dressed and left to grab the mail and then headed out for pizza. Nice little drive and some sunshine on the way up. Storms were moving into the area and I managed to get home before the rain started. I also had to stop for cat food and believe it or not the home improvement store. I got curious this morning and typed in HVAC Odor into their website, there is a new product out by 3M and it’s designed to attach on to your air filter and will cover your home in scent. There are a few different scents, I wanted Cinnamon but of course they didn’t have that. I wound up with Seaside Mist. It’s $4 a package, you can customize how much of the fragrance is released. Kind of neat and great timing. I am at the point with this damn odor that I will try most anything so long as it isn’t terribly expensive.

Saw a great movie and got a nice deal on the rental fee, Amazon had it on sale for Prime Members. I suppose it’s part of the lead up to the big Prime Day. Anyway, it was called Boy Erased. It’s about a kid who is a minister’s son and is gay. His dad sends him to conversion therapy to try to pray the gay away, which of course doesn’t work. The poor kid was also raped in college and that was a violent scene in the movie that I wasn’t expecting. It was a decent movie and I didn’t get terribly upset. Conversion Therapy can be pretty intense from what I have seen in several movies and read on-line. It should be illegal because all it does is torture the person going through it. I love a good movie with a decent plot and if it happens to be a gay movie even better.

17 years ago today, I took my Momma (cat) in from the sweltering heat. Poor thing was miserably pregnant and being out in the elements wasn’t the best for her. She was comfortable for two days and then she had the kids and was exhausted. Her labor was difficult and lengthy but everyone made it out alive. I had no idea what was in store for me when I took her in. I frankly didn’t think my spouse would let me keep her. Then I came home a couple days later and he named all of the kids. The rest as they say is history. What a ride it was. It’s hard to fathom that I am down to the last cat from having so many but time truly isn’t on your side when you think about it as it applies to life, each day is a day closer to the end. This is Momma’s second birthday since she passed and it’s a bitter-sweet day for me. I will feel much the same way come Monday when Gator turns 17.

Speaking of cats, time to go see what she is up to and if I can manage to find something worth my time on TV or a streaming service. I have pretty well exhausted most content that appeals to me, which is what you’d expect for someone that is home bound most days. I hope your weekend is going well and that you’re staying cool in this hot weather.

Talk with you all again soon, be well!

Exhausted

I have really been wracking my brain and driving my body crazy over this odor.  Sunday night when I should have been going to bed an idea hit me and I just had to try it.  The drain hose from the AC could be clogged and maybe there is a backup of water (humidity) and that would breed bacteria and cause an odor.  I removed the hose and hooked up a shop vac to the AC and it pulled out small amount of water but a lot of built up junk.  Meanwhile I took the hose and came up to my bathroom, sure enough it was part way clogged.  I got it cleaned out and hoped that when I put everything back together in a few minutes that would be the end of the odor. 

The worst part of that wonderful idea was cleaning up the shop vac it was a mess but I took care of it.  The odor now that were on day #2 seems to have subsided for the most part.  I still get a whiff of it once and a while. While I think the battle is over with I am not quite ready to call it a resolved issue just yet but I think were way closer than we were a week ago.  Lord knows what Gator & I have inhaled over the course of the past week. 

My angry orange cleaner came and it didn’t have nearly the strong citrus odor that I thought it would.  Lucky for me I found Citrus Magic at the grocery store and they make a small spray can that works wonders. 

I got through Monday it was a bit of a difficult/busy day but finally the end arrived.  I went to bed only to get woken up by Gator.  I settled back down and then my body woke me up.  I was up part of the night and while I could have easily pushed myself I felt exhausted so I said fuck it and took the day off.  All I really wanted to do is sleep and I have done that off and on all day long.  Let’s hope that I sleep tonight because I need to get back to work tomorrow.  Shit builds up and it takes forever to clean out the pile of work. 

I talked myself into getting on the floor in front of the fridge since I did smell an odor by the fridge.  Man alive I saw 16 plus years of cat fur and it was not a pretty site.  Hooked up the vacuum cleaner and got it all cleaned out.  I think I probably saved myself the cost of a refrigerator.  Not sure how the poor thing hasn’t quit before now.  Cleaning the cover at the bottom was the extent of the cleaning that we did and now I know there’s more to do.  I should be good for a while now since the number of cats has decreased but I know there eventually will be some build up of fur and dust. 

I think with all of the sucking the poor vacuum cleaner has done it might just be time to get a new one.  I’ve got the dust collection bin airing out in the garage after I soaked it with Lysol.  I will need to get in an really clean it and change the filter.  This cheap thing has done a mountain of work but I still to this day miss my Dyson.  It did a good job but the reach on the wand was the best and it was so quick and easy to deploy compared to this cheap thing where I have to fight to dislodge the hose from the base and then get out plastic tubes to form a wand.  It’s a lot more effort. 

As you can imagine this odor fight has not done any favors for my mental state and depression has been working overtime on me.  I am in so much mental pain and feel so alone it’s horrible.  Thankfully my furry friend is still here and she is what keeps me from doing anything drastic.  I know this isn’t something that people want to read about but mental health is no joke.  Add in the isolation from COVID and it really makes things much worse, at least for me. 

This weekend I am supposed to be going to the eye doctor but I have to call to confirm I think my appointment might have fallen off the books.  I would like to get the painting on the garage trim done and if I feel up to the task the deck power washed.  Knowing my body & energy level I think that each of these tasks are meant for separate days.  I know we have a 3 day weekend upon us and I might be able to take 2 days to get these tasks done based on how I feel right now I would just as soon spread them out. 

I am off to grab some left over pizza and find something of interest to watch to occupy my time before I call it a day.  I need to cut my hair and am still taking that task upon myself for a bit longer.  I don’t feel ready enough to go back to the salon but I am sure that it will happen.  It’s nice to see things opening up and being able to go into certain stores without a mask on.  I still hear rumblings of a fall surge in cases and don’t understand why that is a possibility now.  I’m fine with spending the rest of the year working from home but don’t think that I will stay here when I have time off so long as I feel up to it.  Eating out has been super enjoyable I just wish more places would open up and I know that too will happen with time. 

Even though I didn’t see any comments or feedback I hope that my odor search will be of help to someone in the future.  As long as you have money you can own a home but that doesn’t mean that you have the knowledge to fix things when they break and that’s kind of where I am at.  I have some knowledge and can do basic stuff but anything complex needs to be farmed out.  I really hope that I am at the end of my home problems for a very long time.  Cheers!

Saturday

I am tired, sore & exhausted.  Last night I thought I found the source of the lingering odor in a bookcase.  I took everything off the shelves and cleaned it.  I put some baking soda in a dish and let it sit overnight as well as vinegar in a different dish and placed them in different locations on the bookcase.  The bookcase no longer has the odor but the odor is still present in the air. 

This morning thinking about wood and how it can absorb odors I cleaned my cd case (yep full of music CD’s) and also a bookcase in my room.  I was surprised to find some D cell batteries and when I lifted them up I saw that they had began to leak.  I had to scrape away the solidified acid and that ruined a shelf but it’s my fault. 

I did manage to get rid of a lot of junk that had accumulated but unfortunately the odor is still present.  Talking with my boss on Thursday afternoon he thought this would be a simple fix.  He said it’s probably sewer gas go run the water in all of the drains that you haven’t used and if you have a toilet in the mix flush it a couple times.  Your P traps ran dry and that lets sewer gas into your house.  I followed his advice and for a short time everything was hunky dory and then just like that the odor was back.  In fairness the windows were open.

I’ve also run the hell out of my ozone machine and the basement actually doesn’t appear to have the odor any longer it’s just an upstairs thing.  I have also pulled out the refrigerator and cleaned behind it.  I am literally going out of my mind trying to track this down and get it resolved.

This afternoon I sat in my room watching Looney Toons on YouTube relaxing with a gator in my lap.  She buried her head and fell fast asleep.  She was not pleased with me when I woke her up.  I said bed and she moved over to the bed.  I got up and joined her.  She let me hold her paw and rested her head on top of mine.  I think she understands that I am worried and upset about this odor business. 

I’m sniffing everything from the wall to the floor with no luck.  After my brief period of rest where I thought for sure I would fall asleep I got up and decided to wash the outside of the house.  As I was spraying I thought I smelled what is inside of my house on the outside.  I got all of the green off the side of the house (there wasn’t that much) and managed to shine up the dormer it went from dirt black back to original white.  I screwed up when I was using the solution and had the bottle on Spray when it should have been on rinse.  I used Mold Armor house wash.  It was in a bottle you hook up to your hose.  There was bleach in the solution.  Bleach actually doesn’t kill mold it feeds it (look on line I’m not kidding.  I had a guy tell me that in person and found a couple sources on line as well.).  I expected that when I went inside my house that I would find wet walls or wet floorboard but nope, bone dry. 

It’s either my neighbor is running a meth lab or something has had to get into my attic be it debris or an animal.  I have run out of options at the moment but I will still be thinking about this.  I don’t like to let my problems win and I also don’t give up.  This may turn out to be something horrific or it may be an easy solution.  My nasal passages are irritated and I kind of wish I would go nose blind if only for a day.  I think about whatever it is that we are breathing in and just hope it’s not something that will cause harm to either of us. 

Tomorrow is going to suck because I will be much more sore than I am today.  I need to hit up a pharmacy since the Sudafed shortage in my area continues and the grocery store.  I am going to try to take it easy for the rest of the night and hope that I can get a good nights rest.  I sure am tired on multiple levels. 

I saw an ad on social media for some new apartments in the area and wow they get more than my mortgage payment each month in rent for something that is super small.  It’s marketed as ‘luxury living’ but unless that luxury includes free blow jobs or a chef it sounds like a rip off to me.  I am very much on the fence when it comes to moving but if this odor business keeps on going it may well be the final nail in the coffin.  While I don’t like to give up and walk away, we all have our breaking points granted mine is probably longer than most, only because I’ve learned that if your patient enough eventually there will be a solution.  Here’s hoping that the solution presents it’s self quickly and that it doesn’t cost an arm & leg or require me to move sooner than I really want to. 

Still open to any ideas or suggestions that any of you might have.  I have yet to find any dead bodies, evidence of any kind of infestation by rodents or mold.  If I open the windows and get air circulating the odor can be knocked down within an hour or two, depending on how much the wind is blowing.  Close the windows and within 30 minutes the odor is back.  It’s baffling.  My next idea is to run my ozone machine in the attic.  It’s vented (there are 3 dormers) so I don’t think it will cause any problems. 

For now onward to rest and cuddling with the Gator.  She will enjoy it!  I did leave for a bit and grab a pizza.  Never in my life I have ever spent $40 when dining out for pizza but today it happened.  I got a side salad and that helped shoot the price up but I haven’t really had anything to eat all day and felt like total crap so it helped to give me some energy even though I really wasn’t hungry.  Got a nice view of a hot waiter while I was there.  Cheers!

Trouble

I am once again plagued by an unknown odor in my home. This is something that has happened off and on for the last year or so. Weather change seems to trigger it. It’s difficult to describe but I can tell you that it does irritate my nasal passages. Rather that sit by and hope that it passes I have really dug in this time but am not finding anything.

I’ve heard periodic noise of feet on the roof but we have tons of squirrels but I figured it might be something else or maybe my roof was breached and something is in the attic. Having a fear of heights and fallen off a ladder I am not keen on going high up but I made it. Into the attic. I stayed on the ladder and used a flashlight to look around. All I saw was darkness and insulation. I did this in the day time so it would be obvious if the roof was breached as I would see the sky or some form of day light. STRIKE 1

My basement is finished with a drop ceiling and I inspected inside of it with a flashlight and looked at multiple tiles. Nothing obvious sticks out and there isn’t any sign of mold (other than what I treated a couple years ago, which I will cover in a bit). STRIKE 2

Perhaps it’s something in the carpet, I gave up cleaning the carpet other than running the vacuum years ago. I found it odd that a change in the weather would cause this but hey I figured nothing ventured nothing gained. I didn’t do the whole house just parts of the living room and my room. I found an old cat toy that had the smell in it & figured maybe this was it but it wasn’t. On the bright side the carpet turned out really well. I had purchased some super pet carpet shampoo and thought that at the very least the smell of the shampoo would mask the odor. Nope. STRIKE 3

I’ve got an ozone generator and have used that. The odor is gone for a short period but comes right back. Even when I treated mold it would wipe out the smell for a couple days before it came back. STRIKE 4

I’ve looked under furniture and around windows for anything obvious. I’ve checked outside of the house and again nothing sticks out. There is some green mold growing in spots on the siding but that is easily wiped out with a pressure washer (on the list of things to do for the weekend). STRIKE 5

Last night I went to Lowe’s to purchase something called Gonzo Rocks which are volcanic rock that claims to absorb all sorts of odors. You have to give it 4 to 8 hours to work. The bin where it was supposed to be was empty but the website said they had it in stock. The stuff was $10 a bag. It’s in a mesh bag, you just remove the plastic covering the bag and then set it out for it to work its magic. I had to go scour for help and it took 30 minutes for the guy to find the stuff with my help. This sounded like it would do the trick. I got 3 bags. 1 for the living room, 1 for my bedroom and 1 for the basement. I put them out and did my best to try to sleep despite the odor. Gator woke me up in the middle of the night and I knew then it didn’t work. STRIKE 6

A couple years ago I got an audio book it was about life & death in the ER and the lady referenced something called Angry Orange and said that it was the only thing that would mask the smell of a dead body (after it was removed). Sometimes in her particular hospital bodies would sit idle for hours before they were taken to the morgue. Remembering that and also doing some searching I found Angry Orange on Amazon. I’ve got 2 small bottles on the way and they will be here on Monday. Of all of the times I hope Amazon delivers early this is certainly one of them.

The odor only appears to bother me. It affects everything from my mood to desire to eat, sleep and my mood. It’s like my house is killing me. Gator appears to be unaffected thus far but she did get sick yesterday a couple times. While in the short term I’d like to remove, I would like to know what the odor is and where its source is. Finding the source is difficult at best but is the best assurance of a positive outcome and being able to put this behind me. Considering I don’t know what the smell is, much less I can’t identify where it’s coming from I at my wit’s end. Add this to the list of reasons why I’d like to move. There is an ammonia like smell to this odor. It is in my living room/kitchen and bedroom, as well as my office in the basement (which is directly below my bedroom). The master bedroom and spare guest room are unaffected. In fairness both of those rooms have the doors closed because they are used for storage more than anything else. I have opened the windows to the house each morning rain or shine and after a couple hours the odor disappears but as soon as I close the windows the odor is back. I should add that I also changed the HVAC air filter, even though I knew that wasn’t the cause, I figured it could hurt.

I had something similar over the winter and thought for sure that something died outside. This was an unfamiliar smell and it would make me want to vomit just smelling it. This time around I am nauseated a bit but overall, I can still eat. I kind of wonder if I am just going insane and fighting with something that doesn’t truly exist except in my mind. What occurred in the winter lasted for 3 weeks to a month and then it was just gone. Presuming it is something that is dead and decaying I know that once that process is over with the smell will be behind me but I would just as soon not wait and would much prefer to solve this mystery.

Around 3 years ago in the summer I got seriously ill, it was close to pneumonia and knocked me on my ass like pneumonia (I had this as a child). I was recovering and then out of no where I got drastically worse. I was out of work for a couple weeks but at home. I started to recover and then one day happened to look down at the back door and saw large objects – they were large moldy mushrooms. I got rid of them and didn’t really investigate like I should have, by the time I did investigate I learned that I had black mold in 2 bays of ban board (also referred to as a rim joist), it was into the carpeting and all a result of a water problem. I had a gutter issue and didn’t really think anything bad would happen but boy was I wrong. I called a guy to fix the gutter and confirmed that resolved the water issue. Then called another guy to work with the mold issue. He wanted a small amount of money and was just a demo guy who was going to leave me with a large hole in my dining room floor and would rip out the infected part of the rim joist. I elected to research the subject and I ripped out a small portion of the subfloor and what mold from the rim joist that I could. The rest I treated with Concrobium mold killer which is an encapsulant that seals the wood and crushes/kills the mold. I then painted over it with mold killing paint. The lingering strong odor is what lead me to purchase an ozone machine and it worked really well. The sad part is that I waited a bit too long and this spread to other bays on the rim joist so the small job turned into a medium job. I also purchased air purifiers to help clean the air. I spent far less money but really only treated part of the problem, being the inside of the wood. The outside of the wood is still moldy and while the water has been cut off so the mold can’t grow it’s still present. I just figured out earlier this week that you have to rip off the siding and pull the entire joist and replace it. If you don’t do that part of the job correctly your home will collapse. Fortunately for me the wood was/is still in decent enough shape. There is a persistent musty smell in the basement and the aforementioned unknown odor is way different.

Another unpleasant thing that happened is that we had two male cats (the strays that lived here part time until we had enough and made them full time residents) that loved to spray. One more than the other, he peed on everything in this house that he could. He was young, full of energy and all of momma’s family hated him. Both of these cats have since passed and I have had to clean the house with the help of a black light and gallons of cat urine remover to get rid of the smell. Cat urine has a very strong ammonia smell to it. It is by far one of the worst household odors in existence.

Later today I plan to make a Target run to buy air fresheners to help cover/mask the smell. If you have any ideas on other things, I can/should try or know who one might call to help with a task like this I’d appreciate any feedback. Meanwhile I hope that I am at the very least successful at masking the odor so that I can maintain what little sanity I have left. I know we all have our problems but mine seem to be so bizarre and difficult to solve. I’m good at fixing other people’s issues but not my own. Here’s hoping whatever it is I am inhaling doesn’t negatively impact me or my gator which is a much stronger concern. I am more worried about the cat than myself, if I know that something is harming her and I can’t fix it that will crush me.

I’ll keep you posted but again would appreciate any help or ideas that you might have.