Spilled Milk

Yesterday I got in my car for the first time in about ten days. As soon as I sat down, I smelled it - the smell of sour milk (having grown up on a dairy farm, I know that smell). Since it's not unusual for me to have a sippy cup of milk for my trips with Lindley, I figured there was a loose cup in the car somewhere. I also remembered that the last time Lindley was in the car, she spilled some of the milk in her car seat, due to faulty cup. So I figured that perhaps the car seat cover had some spillage that had dried into a smelly stain.

I forgot about it until today, when I got back in my car to run errands. The smell was bearable while I was out and about. But when I returned home, I decided to investigate the source of the smell. I sniffed out the inside of the car, and zoned in on the car seat, which was indeed the culprit. Figuring it was the car seat cover, I began removing it - only to have to complete unlatch the 20 or so buckles, belts, latches, and hooks. Eventually I got it off and put it for a run in the washing machine, not realizing that the best was yet to come.

I returned to the now-freed-from-restraints car seat to discover that the aforementioned spilled milk had not, in fact, been stopped by the cushiony car seat cover. Instead, the milk had found a canal to run through, and been stopped only by the hard plastic crevices of the actual car seat. In other words, I had about four tablespoons of milk in two different places that had been curdling and coagulating and stagnating during the week that I been gone. In other words, ewwww and ewwwwwer.

Fortified with Lysol wipes, paper towels, hot water, Q-tips, and Febreeze, I hauled the car seat into the house and proceeded to clean, disinfect, and deodorize. It was an icky job, but Red Pepper (my car's name), Lindley, and I will be much happier and breathe much easier.

So what did I learn from this experience?

1 - If something seems nasty, it is nasty. You just may have to search a little harder to find it.

2 - You may indeed be the only person who perceives of something nasty, and therefore will be the only person to search for the nasty. Unfortunately, there are no awards for "Nasty Finder Of The Year," so you will have to be content with your own self-worth.

3 - Q-Tips. No home should be without them.

4 - Unspillable sippy cups are not to be trusted.

And finally number 5 - Why cry over spilled milk - it's just gonna sit there until you clean it up, and the sooner you clean it up, the better!!

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Today's blessings: getting a start on getting caught up; shower shopping; telephone chat with Ann; Sportsman's Grille dinner with John, Mark, Steve, and Molly