I do not remember on this particular day how long it had been since I had last used the dryer, but it could not have been more than a few days. Once I turned the dryer on, I knew there was a problem. There was a loud clatter followed by a horrible smell. I do not remember if I heard anything scream (unless it was me) I open the door and found nothing inside but wet laundry and the smell was not inside the dryer. The smell was behind the dryer. A cursory glace revealed nothing, but I did not want to look to hard. There was nothing to do but finish drying the laundry, and the clatter continued. Once done, I sniffed the laundry and did not detect any strong odor (I had added a couple more sheets of Bounce), The underwear I put away, but decided to rewash the towels and wash cloths at a later date.
Why I did not call Saul that day, I do not know. Then I forgot about it for a few days when again I had to do at least one load. The smell wasn't too bad, so I threw the laundry in and turned it on. Maggots flew out the back end with a stench that almost made me vomit. Now, I called Saul. He said he would be here in a few hours, but it was almost nightfall before he arrived. Saul is very good at what he does, extremely honest and CHEAP! But he is not fast or punctual (you can't have everything, certainly not in Mexico). I had several small jobs besides the dryer. He wanted to know what all of them were first.
He started with fixing two of the ceiling fans (one vibrated, one spun too slowly) repaired a lamp cord and hung a platter on the kitchen wall. By then it was too dark to work upstairs on the deck and said he would return the following morning. Two days later I called and he said he forgot. This time he did arrive fairly soon along with a new assistant (he goes through a lot of them). They pulled it away from the wall and started to take the back off. He took apart the vent inside and sure enough there was the remains of a dead rat (along with rat turds and maggots). I had to leave as the smell was overpowering. Saul said he might be sick.
The assistant carefully cleaned everything inside and Saul swept everything up and took the trash out and rat out (which means dumping on the corner). Saul then mopped the whole area. He is very good about cleaning up after himself, but the stink remained. I decided to pour disinfectant over the area and then hose it all down. Later I threw the mop away. I could still smell it. Some odors once inhaled seem to stay in the nostrils. Maybe little particles cling to the hairs in your nose and at my age I have a lot of hairs up there. (Why is it that at a certain age hair stops growing on your head and instead comes out your ears and nose?)
It seemed better so I started a new laundry. Saul recommended that I buy some rat poison. I have no idea how he (or she) got up three stories above the ground. It is the first rat I have seen in the four years I have been here. I did see a tiny mouse once slip under my front door, but I stomped my foot and he ran back out to the street. She must have crawled in the vent and started a nest in there. I do not know if there were any baby rats inside or not. They would have been chewed up first. I went to Guadalajara Pharmacy, but they do not carry the package of poison pellets. All they have are little pads of glue. I guess the idea is that the rat will cross it and get stuck. Since I cannot read the Spanish I am not sure what you do with it afterward. You either have a live screaming rat or a dead one. If it happens, I will just call Saul. I know this sounds bizarre, (my life is bizarre) but all my stories are true. So far no trapped rats.
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