I have lost my sense of smell. It’s the weirdest thing. I mean, I’ve lost some smelling ability before, when stuffed up. But right now, between stuffed up sessions, I’m completely clear and can’t smell ANYTHING.
And my superpower is my sense of smell. I can smell cigarette smoke from the car in front of me on the freeway. That is not an exaggeration. My super-nose is usually irritating. The smell of coffee actually wakes
me up from two rooms away because it’s so annoyingly strong. But now I
would like to use my powers for good and I can’t. I can’t smell perfume, even when my nose is not running. I can’t smell Tiger Balm. Things one should always be able to smell.
It will come back, right? Right? I mean, the strongest perfume I have, held to a perfectly clear nostril (thanks, Zyrtec and Flonase!), and NOTHING. It’s kind of scary.
And at the same time, I’m fighting the battle of the cat pee. I think we’re winning — the Feliway seems to be helping, and I moved things around — the couch they were peeing on (now cleaned) into the front sunporch, where Digit likes to hang out. Digit is good with the peeing and hasn’t marked the wrong spot in years. Thank god. So I don’t think he’ll be tempted to mark. But right now I can’t find where the little cats are peeing, if they are, and I’m completely let down by my broken schnozz.
I’m a little worried that this new pretty configuration of furniture in our house would not be so pretty if I could smell. It DOES smell nice, doesn’t it? (And Lala’s superpower is to make BART leave — her sense of smell is not so great for some reason, so she’s not much help there.)
But I’ll show you what I moved around.
There used to be a small sofa where the chairs are, a sofa I bought on Craigslist probably seven years ago and haven’t been able to sit on for two years because that’s where Clara liked to chew her kongs and deposit her fur and drool. No more of that.
But what’s that in the far, far right of the picture?
Oh, it’s just dead Clara. So sad.
More dead animals. (I hope other people make that joke. Otherwise I just sound creepy. They’re alive. But sleeping. If you know what I mean.)
Willie ALWAYS falls asleep like this. BONUS: Little Miss Idaho in background. New couch-cover courtesy of Target sale (also the fabulous pillow on the green chair which rings the same bell in my head).
Okay. Now I will rest. I might have done too much for a recovering Rachael today. Oh well. The other day, while still VERY sick with the flu, I made artichokes, a buttermilk pie, chocolate cupcakes, and a spicy garlic/olive pasta. I couldn’t stop talking, even when it was midnight and Lala was trying to go to sleep. Even though my throat was sore and I had coughing fits. I finally realized I’d taken Sudafed that morning, so basically I was ON SPEED ALL DAY. I hate Sudafed. But man, it makes me productive. I’ve knit two arms and part of a body of a colorwork sweater. This week. While I was sick.
I need a nap. And my sense of smell back. Please. Thanks.
ETA: and if you like cats, you should watch THIS. Really. Omigod, I just watched it again. That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Make sure you get to the yodeling part.
I hope your sense of smell does come back!! I don’t have any experience with that but would hate to be without it.
Thanks for the youtube link. Super funny!!
We *always* joke about the “dead dog” — our dog just plops down wherever and passes out. The cats generally look asleep, the dog looks dead.
Until you make a small move, and she’s WIDE AWAKE, ready to follow you wherever you’re going, because there might be food, or pets, or maybe there’s a cat in that other room to chase.
Well I hope you get better very soon. Flonase kills my sense of smell for a couple of days and Sudafed makes me into a crazy person! I always cook when I am sick….bored I guess :)Little Miss Idaho is so cute she sleeps just like my little Princess Tiggy. Love the coach cover!
That video was great! I don’t know if I liked the performance art or the performance art criticism best… and the yodeling… too fun! Thanks for the link.
We call ’em dead cats too, so don’t worry about it. 🙂
We have “dead” animals too. Glad we aren’t the only people that do that! Have you taken Zicam? I hope not, but that can make you lose you sense of smell.
Hey, I lost my sense of smell when I was sick, too! Here’s a link of my battle with a lack of scent: http://latenightknitting.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/dulled-but-not-forgotten/
Willie looks like a monorail lolcat.
I’ve had that happen, too. Isn’t it the weirdest thing? On the plus side, the cat pee isn’t as obnoxious if you can’t smell it. It’s easier to eat responsibly, too. If things don’t taste right, why bother?
A *pediatric* dose of Sudafed will do that to me.
A *pediatric* dose of Sudafed will do that to me.
Hopefully the cat pee didn’t break your sense of smell. My own experiences with cat pee were that I could smell it inside my head for a long time after the pee was actually gone. Just thinking about it, I can smell it now. Ugh.
You have charming furniture, btw.
Love the dead dogs, around the house. They add so much to a home! My corgi is obese and lies on her back with her legs in the air like roadkill. It cracks me up everytime!
I love the video, especial the aspect ratios!
er, especially. (I hate when I spot a typo in something right as it’s being submitted!)
Hilarious video!
I haven’t referred to my cats as dead animals, but I shall now.
Have you looked up the side effects for the RXs/OTCs you took? Loss of sense of smell (anosmia) might be one…
Hope you get your smelling back quite soon. Mine is fairly good, too, and I know how it feels if it is gone… I love living room, it looks so warm and friendly with those sunny colours – I bet even when it’s raining outside. And all the happily sleeping dogs and cats make it SO peaceful! Get better soon, hugs from over the ocean!
Don’t worry, we call them “dead” too.
Kinda goes like this:
“what’s Meechat doing, hon?”
“She’s all ‘hit by a truck'”.
We also say (since she’s all white) when she’s laying on her back with the front paws all tucked up and the back legs crossed – that she’s being a baby seal and needs a good clubbing. Mind you, this black humour goes over *slightly* better in eastern Canada.
Perhaps it is evolutionary. The cats are peeing where they shouldn’t, hence the nose is saying, “I’m not gonna smell this!”
If noses could talk and all.
I’ve lost my sense of smell too! It’s tragic. I really would like to have it back. Now.
And the dead animal thing? Oh, boy. We say it too, and my fiance has started calling Cricket “the basenji speedbump” after the whole hit by a car incident. It’s terrible, but we crack up, you know, since she’s ok and all.
Thank you for that video! Dying laughing over that (Dad was an engineer).
Hope your sense of smell returns. I have the same kind, and although it can be problematic (I hate the cigarette part), I don’t think I’d want to be without it. Feel better soon!
For cat-pee finding missions: a black light! It works great. Just turn off the lights and use a handheld lamp or something with a blacklight (you can even get CFL blacklights now). The pee will glow. I’ve found the offending puddles that way.
It also shows things like human drool, too, though… an amazing world out there.
Good luck!
Poor you-probably nice not to smell for a little bit but then that gets old. Am sure it will come back-bet it is the Flonase. Sudafed does that-Actifed made my heart about jump out of my chest. Erg.
Good luck with the cat pee-I just threw out a pappasan chair cushion because my cat had taken to peeing in the indented parts where the cushion was tacked. Why I have no idea-will have to get that Feliaway you mentioned. Do let us know if it works. Was about to take one of my fleeces and put it on the chair because it smells better than cat pee!
OMG. I laughed sooooo hard at you today, my coworkers think I have lost it. I have lost it, but for different reasons. I have 4 dogs, one cat. When they are in “that” position I always say, Oh poor little dead dog” or “oh no, a speeding car came thru the living room” . It always illicts the same response from friends, “You are soooo sick”.
Humor is soooooo personal….made my day……oh, sometimes the world “stinks” just consider your temporary break a gift!
I lost my sense of smell with my last battle with the flu. It’s been a month now, and it’s just starting to return. Usually I can smell cigarette smoke from cars on the street with the windows closed; it’s been pretty freaky.
We also have a cat pee problem (front entry mats and boot tray), and I’m supposed to have a party in two weeks. I don’t know if my house smells like a huge litter tray or not. We’re going through the Renuzit Pet Odor spray faster than we can find it in the stores.
I love your chairs, your dead animals, and Monorail Willie! I know nothing about losing one’s sense of smell, though, you weirdo.
My sense of smell went away when I had chemo seven years ago. I can smell very strong smells very faintly. It sucks because I always had a strong sense of smell. I miss it, but hey! I’m alive to miss it. I keep hoping it will come back.
Show us the sweater in progress!
The dead-animals part made me laugh. I’ve made that joke about my poonumses lots of times, ‘specially when they get into roadkill position. It’s so uncanny, man; I even get a little freaked out by it! Like, whoah, there’s a roadkill cat ontop of the TV; aaaaahhhh!!!!!
The dead-animals part made me laugh. I’ve made that joke about my poonumses lots of times, ‘specially when they get into roadkill position. It’s so uncanny, man; I even get a little freaked out by it! Like, whoah, there’s a roadkill cat ontop of the TV; aaaaahhhh!!!!!
My cat likes to sleep on her back with all 4 paws in the air. And we always say, “who shot the cat?” So, no. You aren’t the only one.
Oh, man. Not only was that video funny as all hell, it featured geeky smart guys who love cats. Be still my heart.
As someone mentioned earlier, Zicam can cause you to lose your sense of smell – it does return, but takes a while. As for the cat pee, have you tried using a black light – will lead you to the spot (but it’s kinda scary cause there are usually a lot of spots)
I have faith that your Spidey-smell sense will come back. I had bronchitis one time, and during that I lost my smell, which also meant my taste was gone. This upset me for a while, then I calmed down a bit, figured okay, once the bronchitis is gone, the smell will come back, right? Except it took a while, which freaked me out a little – after the antibiotics were done and I was feeling human again, all better, no stuffy sinuses, I poured a glass of orange juice and was all excited that surely I’d be able to taste something…except I couldn’t taste it. Had a little breakdown over that, because dude, orange juice! That’s a pretty strong smell, and if I couldn’t smell or taste that, was I doomed? GAH. Luckily, it did eventually come back, and it’s all fine.
And yes, my kitties are dead sometimes too. 🙂
My Dh possessed a super nose that even put me to shame when I had hyper-sensitive pregnant nose. Over a year ago he had a terrible head cold and he went to the doctor who prescribed a nose spray containing steroids. They helped clear his sinuses, but he’s not been able to smell properly ever since. He has phantom smells and can’t discerne between some food smells. It’s kind of creepy. I hope that whatever is ailing your olefactory heals up quickly.
The tip about using a blacklight is true. It will show you the spots you missed or have to re-treat. Whether the enzymatic cleaners actually get rid of the smells or not is another question.
Sorry to hear about your lost sense of smell–that would drive me nuts!
Loved the cats + engineers video, too! Especially corporal cuddling…I thought I was the only one who practiced that! lol
Your house looks so bright and cheerful, it’s inspiring me in my soon-to-be paint colour choices.
I also feel like I have been endowed with super smell, I wonder if the flonase type stuff is knocking it out temporarily? I’d research side-effects if I were you…good luck.
Willie sleeps like my Penny does. Silly kitties.
Maybe I should pop some sudafed tonight and clean house. It certainly isn’t getting done by without some kind of stimulant.
I wanted to tell you, I got a nike ipod attachment a while back after reading about yours, and it is awesome! Your running stories were really inspiring, and I’m having fun running for the first time in my adult life.
There’s something– and I mean this in the BEST possible way– there’s something a little Pee Wee’s Playhouse about the furniture in that first photo. I somewhat expect that little white table to start dancing.
I wish I had an adorable house and pets that just lay there instead of following me around incessantly. 🙂
(Oh, and I am sure your smell will return soon. Test it out with drugstore perfumes, maybe it needs to be shocked into action)
You OK in there?? I lost a lot of my sense of smell once after a very bad infection. It didn’t recover fully but hey, there are worse things to lose to illness…
Your room is beautiful with all those colours and lovely shaped chairs and dead animals. I love it.
OK I REALLY liked that cat video, Rachael. REALLY REALLY lol
Maybe just after effects of the flu? I use flonase and my smeller is A-ok. I won’t use Zicam for that reason though – I’ve heard that it might affect ones sense of smell. Hope it returns soon!
I love your cheery decorating. I’m thinking there’s nothing like a lesbian home… no man around to throw in his two cents on what looks good. You can go crazy with the happy colors and floral prints. Testosterone can do ugly things to a living room.
Love the couch cover! Nice! Maybe it’s time for a new one for our household, too.
I used to tease my black Dog, Max, saying “dead dog dead dog dead dog” to drive her crazy. Then again, she would flop up from a dead-flat thing in like 3/4 of a second.
What colorwork sweater?!? Share!
Heh – I am an accomplished Corporal Cuddler – Remy is not usually keen on being “squished”, lol…I will definitely have to try to get him to yodel, though!!! Hee!