u/LuhYall

TW: Revolting, will put you off your food. Proceed with caution. Seriously.

Last night when Ladybird came in through the doggy door, I was hit by a wall of something that smelled like weapons-grade rancid ammonia. I went outside to locate the source and found her sister trying and failing to swallow something brownish, furry, and crawling with maggots. I grew up on a small horse ranch and have experienced some decomposing wildlife but this was by far the worst thing I have ever smelled. Both dogs had clearly been rolling on it and chewing it. After multiple baths, I got them decontaminated, but their collars had to be thrown away and the bathtub bleached. My husband came back into the house after removing the carcass with a shovel and told me that he believed that it had been a rat.

Does anyone know why they love the smell of decomp so much that they need to roll in it? In the blazing summer heat, this one was at peak stink, but all of my dogs forever have done this at every opportunity. Why?

This has been a summer of wild-ride pods for me: Love Trapped, Dirtbag Climber, Unicorn Girl, etc, privileged scammers doing crimes with crazy plot twists. Following this kick-line of colorful nutters and their enablers, I just finished Who Killed Emma. If you're looking for a very satisfying traditional TC pod, this is it. Outstanding BBC production values and the very best of what investigative journalists can do in the service of justice.

Big thanks to whoever recommended Dirtbag Climber. For those of us who're experiencing withdrawal symptoms after Love Trapped, this one has the similar element of a main character whose sheer audacity will continually surprise you. It's like those old Stephon skits from SNL: "It's got everything, murder mystery, neo-Nazis, penis enlargement pills...." What a wild ride.

Wow. Thanks to this sub for the recommendation, especially the note that you didn't need to be a Bachelor fan to appreciate it. I have never seen the show, but have been absolutely riveted by the podcast. Top-notch journalism.

A family member is coming to stay with us for two weeks due to a gap between leases. This person knows that I don't drink. I don't mind someone having a beer or glass of wine when we host a potluck, for example, but every time this person stays with us (a couple times a year), they leave the trashcan full of empty beer cans and to be honest it kinda freaks me out--that they're hanging out in the guest room and drinking what seems like a lot. I would appreciate some boundary language. I tend to prefer concise and polite but firm. Years and years in recovery, but boundary language still just stops in my throat.

I bought a lovely top on Poshmark and the perfume smell practically blew my hair back as soon as I opened the mailbox. By the time I got the packing tape, box, and tissue wrapping the item off, my hands reeked of it. The seller had added a note saying "this garment is freshly washed and ready to wear." How can I get the perfume out? Is this an ammonia-soak project? Full spa day?

We spent a small fortune putting in a large hedge row for privacy and after three years it had filled out beautifully. It got very tall (~8'), so we hired someone to trim the top. Apparently, he misunderstood the assignment and I walked out yesterday to find basically bare sticks, chopped down to approximately three feet tall. They looked better than this when we first got them.

Will the established roots and regular watering will bring them back? Is there any hope? Please advise.

Upfront caveat, the wax leaf was not my choice. I know it's problematic/invasive. Where the choice was mine, we have Texas Sage. Still, it has been a massive investment of money, time, and effort and I don't want it to be dead.

I don't want to jinx anything, but I think it actually worked. Normally when the kits are air drying in the laundry room, the smell hits me at the door. This morning there was...no smell... at all, not in the air, not in the washer drum, and I even got the nerve up to sniff the foam padding on the seats. Nothing.

Some of these things are 10 years old. The fabric seems strangely, I don't know, less stiff? More pliable--like the pile of clean gear in the laundry basket seemed fluffier?

Method: As advised, I just put a capful in a load with Dirty Labs liquid detergent; Heat set at 4/5, maximum extraction spin cycle.

I'm in the US and boycott Amazon, so shipping from Australia took about a week, but it was affordable and obviously worth the wait. I'm a believer. Huge appreciation to you laundry sorcerers!