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2003-10-16 - 12:29 p.m.

A Fish Story

Sunday afternoon I worked up the energy to organize the freezer compartment on the refrigerator. It’s a replica of the chaotic mess in my garage. And basement storage. And closets.

Had I not stopped at Sam’s and loaded up on frozen foods I probably would not have taken the time to arrange the muddle of packages until they all eventually tumbled out on the floor. But try as I might, I could not jam another box or package in the compartment, so I had to postpone sit-on-my-butt plans until I finished reshuffling stuff. I pulled packaged foods out, some I could identify, others I couldn’t (these went in the garbage) and stacked everything in neat rows.

Shoved to the back I had two of those blue liquid things meant to be frozen and used to keep foods cool on picnics. Since picnicking season is over in Missouri—and I’d forgotten I even had them—I reckoned they could go in the Tupperware (at my house it’s the butter container) cabinet.

Monday while fiddling around trying to decide on supper I noticed an odor in the kitchen and reminded myself—again—to pick up more garbage disposal odor tablets. And went about my merry way.

Tuesday evening I again noticed the odor, and it was stronger. I sniffed my way around the kitchen and again convinced myself it was the garbage disposal. Anytime I entered the kitchen that evening I was assaulted by the nasty smell. Tomorrow, I told myself, you’ve got to stop at Westlake’s for something to kill the bacteria in the disposal.

I was ill Wednesday and didn’t leave the house. The smell hadn’t left the house either. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, turning in circles, trying to nose out the offensive stink. Then Emma came into the room and began snuffing around the butter container cabinet. When I opened the cabinet door I was nearly knocked to the floor by the smell. Emma backed out of the room.

Sweet Jesus!

My first thought was a dead mouse, so I started pulling out mismatched Tupperware, butter containers and lids, a thermos bottle, an electric skillet, a slow cooker, a forgotten flask and pizza stone, in addition to other useless odds and ends of plastic ware. Then I came to the two blue liquid freezer packs I’d removed from the freezer and put in the cabinet on Sunday. And I had a problem. Only one of the gel packages was a freezer pack. The other was a package of tilapia filets.

So much for Sunday’s burst of domestic energy!

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