Oh the SLUDGE!!!

Since we moved into our house, we've had the most incredibly, disgusting stench arising from somewhere inside our garage. I wondered if by some chance it could have been the heap of cardboard moving boxes we were storing for no reason at all. Perhaps they'd come into contact with some leftover spill residue from the moving truck??!! What did I know?
There is a grate in the middle of the garage floor. Adam inspected beneath the grate one day and discovered what he thought to be stagnant water. We figured this must be the source of the offending odor.

When the new carpets were installed last week, the "carpet guys," (Calli's term), told Adam the basement carpet was still in good condition and perhaps we should save it for lining the garage floor, or the deck or whatever. Sure!! Why not!!? So today was G Day. Adam once again lifted the grate and stuck a screwdriver into the disgusting "water" to see how deep it was, in order to determine the method of cleaning and what tools were required. Turns out, the "water" was old engine oil and there was about 1/2 a foot or more of silt/sludge/gunk beneath the liquid. So began the cleaning...

Adam digging out the s#^* from the hole in the floor...



EWWWWWW!!!!!!!



All clean!!



He managed to scoop all the liquid and sludge out of the hole and into a garbage bag lined cardboard box. He knew right away that was what the smell was in the garage. After scooping out the crap, he cleaned the plastic liner/hole in the middle of the floor. We then removed everything sitting on the garage floor, swept, vacuumed and washed the floor, then laid underlay and the old basement carpet down.

Our empty garage with well worn floor paint.



We moved everything back in the garage and.....VOILA!!! No stench!!! I am the happiest girl in the province!!

Our garage with the new carpet lining!!



Each time I had to deliver some recycling to the bin, I cringed while opening the garage door. It was imperative to open the door as fast as humanly possible and enter at the same speed, in order to prevent the stench from wafting into our house!!! Hopefully, we've solved the problem once and for all!!

While we were working outside, we put Marin in the Exersaucer with a pile of Cheerios to keep her occupied. It was a bit windy, so I brought out some hats for the girls to wear. Calli, of course, thought her hat was really neat, and Marin thought it was a game and kept taking hers off and laughing each time we'd put it back on her!!



Needless to say, Marin spent the afternoon relatively hatless. We tried.



When Calli was playing outside today, she came across the "Greatest Discovery!!! You've got to come and see THIS!!!"

Nice mohawk!



He looks to have a few stray whiskers.







We watched the poor little lost caterpillar for quite a while until Calli decided she wanted to kill it. So along came another deep talk about why we shouldn't kill things. "What would happen if a giant caterpillar came along and killed you, Calli?" This tactic didn't work, so I had to try a new approach. Eventually, I called Adam out to come and move the caterpillar into the garden. We might have to refresh her memory about not killing things just for the fun of it.

Calli watching the caterpillar. Isn't her hair amazing!



I was marveling at the Hibiscus in our front yard again today. This plant loves us!! It keeps producing flowers for us. I think the flowers are incredible. They look normal from this view...



But from here, they have a completely different view!



Pretty amazing if you ask me!