House Smells Good!

Saturday we all pitched in and cleaned the house. It was fabulous! I felt good, refreshed as I always do after a good clean. We went about the other things of the day and when the day was done. The house smelled.

I'm not talking a good Lysol-slash-Swiffer clean smell. I'm talking about a nasty-putrescence smell (watch the Princess Bride for a context of 'putrescence') wafting from my nearly spick-and-span house. Hummm....

Everyone takes daily showers in my house. We had a fire in the backyard but the putrescence smell was not at all campfire. It most definitely not the neighbors (we would have mentioned it to them and you before).

And then, walking around the house, I found the source. I could NOT believe it! The fish tank (that got unusually dirty, unusually quick) was wafting this stench! Don was asked to clean the fish tank Saturday but did not get around to it.

O my 'lanta! I took the fish out, drained the water, and did what everyone tells you not to do: I used soap (and LOTS of it)! The tank decoration was scrubbed in warm soapy water with a toothbrush and new gravel was put in. The poor fish, when I took it out, I realized it's nose was a bright red (normally orange, for my perfect little gold fish), the veins were clearly visible in it's tail, and I noticed there were two growths coming out of it's head (small to me but sizable for the size of the fish). I can tell the fish is happier that the tank is spotless but he is not as happy as he could be, clearly!

My mom said to flush it. I just didn't have the heart. As irritating as it is begging Don to take his turn and clean it, I just couldn't part with my day-time companion. Here's hoping and praying that either he'll die a quick and painless death or be healed quickly. And if he dies, at least it will be clean for the next one!

The odor is now out of the house!