Saturday, May 9, 2009

Adventures in gardening

So I decided this year I wanted to plant a vegetable garden. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while, but decided to go through with it. Yay! There's the background for the start of my story.

So the weather's been getting nicer and I've been so happy to open windows and let fresh air into the house. Yesterday was no different. I got home from work after running some errands and picking Aidan up from school. As I'd woken up insanely late in the morning and not been able to shower, I thought before going to pick up the girls, I'd hop in the shower. Before that I decided to open windows and doors to enjoy the weather. The windows in my bedroom were open wide! I happily jumped in the shower and relaxed in the heat and steam. I got out of the shower and walked into my room and thought something smelled kind of off, but didn't think much more than that.

I finished getting ready and Aidan and I were off to pick up the girls and go grab some supper. Good times. We eat, we get home, we're chilling out... and then it's bedtime. Aidan goes to brush his teeth and when he comes back out to the living room and tells me the girls want the windows closed. Sure no problem. I walk into the bedroom and it smells AWFUL! Like something has curled up and died in the walls. I closed the windows and made sure to tell Maggie that she probably didn't want to open her windows, because I'm quite positive that whatever that smell is, it's coming from outside our house. Maybe it's all of the leaves left over from last fall decomposing? I don't know, but I'm planning to plant the next day anyway, so I figure I can just rake some leaves while I'm working on my garden.

My mom had agreed to help with the gardening and called me first thing this morning to figure out our plan for the day. We both have some errands to run and decide we should just do them together. Errands completed we return to my house. It's stinking cold outside this morning and I was not dressed well for being outside, so I came inside to get a sweatshirt. While doing so, I happened to glance out my window and what did I see? A dead raccoon. So I wasn't wrong about something curling up and dying! I for sure want to move this dead thing away from my window, so that I can actually have my windows open again sometime this summer. I go outside and grab one of the shovels that my mom has brought over for us to use. A small garden shovel mind you. I walk over to the dead raccoon and as I'm walking over there, I can already smell the stench that is this dead, rotting animal, and it's pretty nasty!

I tried to get the raccoon onto the shovel and only accomplished flipping it over. I thought the smell was bad before, OMG! I had to step away from the raccoon and came incredibly close to vomiting all over right then and there. Meanwhile, my mom is standing over to the side, laughing so hard she can barely stand up, let alone be any help whatsoever! I tried again a couple of times with the small shovel, all the while trying to hold my breath and not throw up the lunch I'd just eaten. I then decided it was time to get a bigger shovel. I got a snow shovel and still had some difficulty getting the raccoon onto it, but eventually got it. I then proceeded to carry the thing to the back of the property and throw it into the woods. The wind was working with my on the walk back to the woods, I couldn't smell a thing. But after I'd thrown the raccoon into the woods, I turned around to head back toward the house and was just about bowled over by the stench that apparently left a trail behind me. At that point, my stomach decided it'd had enough and I lost my lunch. dead raccoon: 1 - Elise: zero...

Oh and in the process of planting the garden... Ainsley was squirted twice with grub guts. It was one interesting process. :)

amor y paz,

me