Is it a Meth Lab???

Today started interestingly enough, the boys played a game on the computer, and came in to ask for my help. I shoo them away, and realize Hubby is still abed. This is actually kind of rare. About a minute later, I hear a familiar jingle, and tap Hubby on the hand. "I think I hear your phone."

Hubby gets up and checks, and sure enough his friend K wonders if one of us could give him a ride to Annandale to drop a cat off with his fiancee. Hubby has to work, but I'm up for a little road trip. I should mention that Hubby's friend is blind, or nearly so, and has good reason to ask for a ride.

In preparing for the roadtrip, it comes to light that K is apprehensive about seeing his fiancee as things have not been going well between them, and he's worried that they will fight in front of me and my boys. This is not an incentive to go, especially since it was snowing, and even jeeps with 4 wheel drive can get into accidents.

Plans abandoned, I decide to surf the net, and Hubby leaves for work. A bit later, I look out through the venetian blinds that I have slanted to allow light in, but people can't see in unless in just the right spot. (So yes, a few of my neighbors do know that we are nudists!) I see a police officer walk by my apartment, and pause to look in through my boys' bedroom window. My first thought is, "Oh shit! Who has called the cops on me, and why do they care that my boys' room is a disaster area?" I mean seriously, it's a kids room, and a boys room at that, of course it's messy.

Then I thought, "Calm down, we not doing anything wrong, so it can't be us... in fact, judging by how the cop moved on a bit, I think he's looking in at the neighbor." Not that I am the type to ill-wish my neighbor, but I was home alone with my kids with no one to look after them if I got taken to jail. It's happened before due to an unpaid traffic violation, and it's not fun!

A bit later, I see a fire truck pull up, and I think, "Hmm, I wonder what's going on? No ambulance, so not a medical emergency; a rescue perhaps? Someone died? There's no alarms going off, surely it's not a fire."

I got dressed, because I was getting motivated to go find out what was going on. I went into the kitchen to get a drink of water, and I smell something that is like a mix of gasoline and nail polish remover. (But still better than the horrendous overpowering perfumy stench that came from the neighbor's apartment 2 Sundays in a row!) I picked up my phone, and called my neighbor who is directly across the hall from where I am sure all the action is happening.

"Hey, do you know what is going on?"
"Actually, I do, The police and fire dept are in the apartment across from me, and there is this obnoxious smell. They've opened the door and the patio door to the apt., and the door to the building to let it air out. It's getting into my apartment, and I need to leave!"
"Feel free to bring your boys over here for a bit. I can smell it, but only by the door."
"Great, see you in a few!"

At this point, I am thinking, "Oh great! Is there a meth lab next door? It would certainly explain the gods awful smell that occassionally comes from there."

I will also be the first to admit that yes, this IS an ironic statement coming from me since our apartment often smells pretty bad... somewhere between garbage dump and the Bog of Eternal Stench... or so I'm told. Hey! I've already stated that our apartment is home to 2 tornadoes, a packrat, and a sloth; a little stench is bound to happen. (Sigh! I know I know! I gotta work on that whole cleaning thing. At least the boys seem willing to help out, for now.)

A and her boys A and A come over, and having four boys aged 4-6 in the house is an extremely loud experience, but it's good for them, so we suffered through it for a few minutes before shushing them. Then we were able to talk about the potential meth lab in the apt. next door.

Was is a bomb? Oh Gods! My boys are in the room closest to that apartment, if a bomb went off in there... I just can't think about it!

Turns out that the neighbor was mixing up a chemical to exterminate some unwanted guests of the insect kind that we had been vaguely, at first, and then increasingly suspecting ever since the neighbors first moved in. We did confirm their presence, so I totally believe that the neighbors were just trying to kill some bugs... and yet that still bothers me.

They KNOW we have kids. They may not know that we are chemicla free in this home, (and that includes cleaners, we use all natural everything) but they MUST be able to read the bottle enough to mix it up. They MUST have read the part that warns not to use around children and small pets. How could they not even warn us? I would have the courtesy to go over and say, "Hey, were going to drop the insecticidal equivalent of the H-bomb over here. You might want to find somewhere else to be for the night." Or wait, isn't that actually supposed to be 4 days? Anyway...

Now, everyone's in bed sleeping, and I am listening to the latest album by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, track 4 - Mountain. Good Stuff Maynard!