Men are gross!!!

That is such a broad statement that I think I need to narrow the margin a little. Men have the grossest hygiene habits. I was offered some money to help someone I know prepare a house for auction. Actually I was asked to do the bathroom portion of the house. I'm thinking "um, no, not really." But he was persistant and asked me a second time this time offering me the amount of money that I would make off of it. I accepted...without ever looking at the bathroom (Dumb move!)

As it turns out, the house is RIGHT next door to me. Now I have watched the two OLD men come and go in that house for over 3 years. Then after they moved I watched the grandson come and go for about 6 months.

Let me begin by saying they were not people that I would want to go have dinner with anyway. The one time that I found it necessary to knock on their door the odor of OLD MEN just about melted the mascara right off my eyelashes. And that was standing on the porch. I never even stepped in the door.

Now after they left and the grandson moved in I knocked on the door another time and when he answered the door, the most ferociously foul defication smell made me wanna run away before I could tell him what I needed. The smell followed me home. I sat on the couch thinking "Man, that house smells so bad that the scent is all over me and I was just standing on the porch." Well, come to find out, Tucker was poopie. So how bad the house actually smelled with the younger guy, I'm not really sure. ANYWAY...back to the actual topic.

I went over today to start cleaning and wanted to cry as soon as I saw what I had gotten myself into. You know how bathtubs look like someone poured rusty water into them? Well that is what this tub looked like, only the soapscum was so thick I believe there may have been bugs imbeded in it. The toilet! OMG! These males must have laid on the floor and aimed their butts up at the underside of the toilet and then stood on the side and urinated on the floor surrounding the toilet. The floor? Covered in dead bugs, hair, filth, dirt, grime, cigarette butts, you name it. Under the sink (which was just as nasty) sat a large bucket half filled with dirty leaky sink water that had been used as an ashtray among other things. I stood there gazing at the filth and turned around and saw what is supposed to pass as a mirror. I looked at myself and thought. What are you doing!?! What are you doing??? What is that on your neck??? Dirt? No. Dirt doesn't move. A FLEA!!! I had a flea on my neck!!!!!! Bloodsucking little nasty thing!!! It's a good thing that it was just a flea. I would probably have made a new bathroom door if it had been anything else.

I did kill a wasp in there though. I hit it with the handle of a screwdriver and when I did, a bunch of wood fell off the window (which was filled with a mish-mosh of dead bugs as well). I just pulled up my big girl panties and dove in head first. Well, gloved hands first anyway.

I believe that I used about ten pair of rubber gloves cleaning that nasty place before I could even think of painting it. Oh! And the walls and ceiling that were to be painted? COVERED in mold and nicotene. Didn't even bother trying to wipe the walls down. Just painted two layers of KILZ on it. I'm very sad to say that I am not done yet. After at least 5 hours in that tiny bathroom, I am NOT done. Have to go back tomorrow and finish it.

Oh the sacrifices we mothers (and a few good fathers, none come to mind) make for our babies.

BUT...there's always a but. As much as I complain, I am SO grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to make a little money for my family today.