School Supplies & Cat Pee

One would ask, "What in the world do school supplies and cat pee have in common?" Well...nothing. I just thought it was a catchy title. Actually, they have everything in common considering the day I have had.

It actually started yesterday - this feeling of dread and disappointment. I bring it all on myself, naturally, but wait - I'm getting ahead of myself. Yesterday, my dryer died. I mean it completely bit the dust. I had a load of towels in there drying and although the stupid thing had been making a little noise over the last few weeks, I didn't think it was too big a deal. But then, it really started to clang, and the smell of burning tires filled the small space that it is my laundry room, and I knew - I just knew - that the belt had broken. It shut itself down and I had a few choice phrases pass my lips, the general drill when I'm upset. I began thinking about the trip to Boston that Mac and I were going to take and how I would likely have to cancel that now that I would probably have to buy another dryer. I was thinking that there was no way in hell that I would call Sears for help -sorry to all the Sears fans out there, but Lord have mercy on you if one of their appliances break and you have to have them come out -- that's a long story. I was thinking that this just couldn't have come at a worse time -- when I had piles of unwashed laundry sitting there ready to be done.
There I am, feeling utterly sorry for myself, my anxiety, depression and ADD all coming to one large disgusting head, but I had to do something! I called my mother. Yes, that woman who gave me life, has seen me through every bump and bruise, who has taught me that it is much better to laugh than cry when given the choice, and the one I could count on to tell me to just suck it up! Besides, I had to use her dryer, otherwise, I would have to stand in front of the air conditioner vent tomorrow after my shower to dry off.
We went out to my parents' place. I was in a sour mood - after all life as I had come to know it was coming to an end - I threw in the load of towels and proceeded to tell my mother my sad story. She was weeding her flowers, and told me that I would probably just have to call Sears if I couldn't find anybody else. In her own way, she was just telling me to - you guessed it - Suck it up! We were there till about 10pm waiting for the stuff to dry. Then my dad - dear Daddy - offers to come and "tear it apart to see what is wrong with it." I'm thinking, "Oh God, please make him take it back!" Visions of him taking it apart and then leaving it in pieces on my laundry room floor shot through my mind. Larry told him to feel free - that was it. The end of my sanity. In silence, we drove home, I took an Ambien and went to sleep.

This morning, I went to work, pulled through the day feeling hungover (unfortunately, unless I get at least 10 hours of sleep the Ambien makes me feel groggy), and dreaded coming home to heaven knows what in my laundry room. I walked through the kitchen door, and the first thing I noticed was a strong smell of Pine-Sol. I love that stuff. Covers up a multitude of sins. Anyway, I knew that the kids were downstairs working on cleaning up my laundry room area of the basement (bribing them with cash works every time). Sure enough, they were down there, and although they weren't done, they had done a good job so far. Dad hadn't been there yet. And then I smelled it -- the distinct and stinky odor of cat pee. I wondered how that could be when I had just cleaned Potter's (our cat) litter box. It wasn't like that though. It was pungent, old smelling, like it had been there awhile. I asked the kids if they knew where it was coming from. Well, evidently, at some point, Potter left little spots around the laundry room. It is a concrete floor, but there were things sitting on it. I found a pile of clothes ready to go to Goodwill that will now likely have to be burned as no manner of washing is going to take that stench out of them -- anyway, you get the picture. Once we get that area all cleaned out, its getting a good scrubbing with Clorox -- that will kill ANYTHING!

Then, Dad gets here. I was napping - a good ol' power nap. I seem to need one of them just about everyday when I get home. I woke after about an hour and Larry said that the dryer was FIXED! I couldn't believe it. I was stunned. I was elated. I was...(fill in the blank)! He turned it on with a flourish to demonstrate and he reminded me of one of those odd ducks from the home shopping channel. It ran, and not only did it run, but it ran quietly and efficiently. I asked Larry what was wrong with it, and he said that it was simply full of lint and the lint got hot. Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that you are supposed to take the front off the stupid thing once in awhile and clean it out around the drum? Hell, I thought cleaning out the little lint catcher was good enough!! Drama complete.

Well, not quite. With the dryer working, and clothes being washed and dried, I was working on cleaning the laundry room some more. Tyler had choir practice tonight and Larry was going to take him, leaving me and Mac to fend for ourselves. Fine by me. I was in the middle of separating garbage from recyclables when MacKenzie comes down and says, "Mom can we go and get school supplies?" Ah, school supplies. Remember when you were a kid and your mom would take you to get your school stuff, and then when you got home you would spread it all out on the living room floor and marvel at the assortment of colors, textures, and smells? You don't? Well, I do. Mom came with us and we wandered the aisles at Target and I still marvel at the colors, the textures, the smells, and the fact that I can get 10 spiral notebooks for $1 just floors me! I bought enough for Mac, Tyler, me and still have enough to start my own small Office Max here at home. I'll have to go back out tomorrow and get some stuff for Tyler and pick up the rest of Mac's. Target's selection is a little limited.

Now, its 10:11pm according to the atomic clock of Boulder, Colorado. I'm tired. The smell of cat pee and Bounce dryer sheets lingers in my nose. I think I'll shower before bed tonight.

Meow.