What was that smell? I wondered, as the fruity scent persisted. Maybe Lily had left something in the trash. But when I checked, the receptacle was clean.
The smell sometimes started in the late afternoon and lingered into the early evening. Over time it grew stronger and what had begun as a bearable fruity scent turned into an unpleasant fermented apples odor.
An expert in the field suggested decaying rodent or other small animal. I declined the opportunity to investigate, but kept sniffing. One evening the stench was so bad, my eyes watered and my throat grew tight. Okay, I’d hire someone. By the next day, the smell was gone.
Until a few weeks later, when one evening I smelled smoke ever so faintly. It smelled like the sweet sulphur smell after lighting a match. As far as I knew, no matches had been lit. The smell was enough so I noticed it, but not intrusive.
Until the other night. I was sleeping soundly, when the smell invaded my dream and woke me. I did research in the field, but didn’t find anything that could have caused it.
The next day someone advised me to call the fire department. The firemen had been around the field a few times and would know things I did not. The good news was all was fine. However, the fire chief said that this time of year field mice look for warm places to curl up and may have gotten trapped in the heating vents.
Happily, that smoke smell went away. But the next night there was a trace of gas odor in the air. I checked the burners and the furnace. Nothing seemed off and the smell dissipated quickly. A few mornings later, the smell was stronger. I called the gas company. The workmen measured with their special meters and sprayed soapy water on the pipes. Nothing sudsed and they gave me an all clear report. But a workman asked whether we got critters here and said that the dead carcasses smell can mimic a gas odor.
Death sure does stink!
Notes from the cupcake rescue league 