Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

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Bebe Chat Smells to the High Heavens

Bed

Photo and text by: Corey Amaro

Running around the house like a chicken with her head cut off, that is what I am. Flapping my wings trying to get everything in order before French Husband and I head out to North Carolina (more about that later….)

While we are in the States some friends of ours are coming over to take care of the house. I decided to give the house a 'Big Clean'. And put all the brocante stuff we bought yesterday in my already bursting, looks like a bomb went off, office. My office, no I should say: "Space",is a danger zone … I will have to put a note on the door, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK: Brocante Bug Germs Galore!

Anyway…

I cleaned the fridge. Drank the lost drops of wine, ate some cheese… you know what that means? I cleaned the fridge, one bite at a time.

Then mopped, tidied up the bathrooms, put scented candles here and there to make the house smell like a vanilla, cotton, honey, fig… maybe I got to many flavors going on?

As I was arranging the closet so our friends could have room to hang their clothes I smelled something not at all like vanilla-cotton-honey-fig… I dropped my coats to the floor and ran down to the second floor… just as my neighbor's cat jumped out the window, he had peed in our bedroom again! AGAIN!!!

"That cat and I are gonna have words…" I said to French Husband as he too was running around doing this, that and the other.. he laughed, "What are you gonna say? Meow meow?"

"Ha, don't laugh! Can't you smell it? The house sticks! If you keep smiling and siding with the bebe chat, I am gonna, I'm gonna…. I don't know what but I am gonna do, but I am gonna do something!"

"Bark?" He laughed at his own joke.

French Husband is on a roll these days…. I think the brocante bug has effected his brain.

God, what will happen to him when he sees Marburger?

Comments

35 responses to “Bebe Chat Smells to the High Heavens”

  1. Celeste

    How wonderful to share the fun with FH this time. Ah young love. You kids will have such fun!

    Reply
  2. Linda

    Is there anything worse than the smell of cat pee? I finally had to put away a really nice runner because my cat would pee on it when something upset him. I’ve used vinegar, baking soda, you name it, and still can’t get the smell out.

    Reply
  3. Merisi

    Ball and chain, at Marburger’s! 😉
    Vanilla, cotton, honey, fig – sounds fine.
    Just add a some sliced almond crumble
    and bake at 180F for half an hour,
    Serve with Breyer’s vanilla ice cream.

    Reply
  4. Irina

    that’s sounds much better – you’re going together!!!
    the room should have a sign on the door ‘welcome to HEAVEN 😉

    Reply
  5. Lieselotte

    Corey, you´ll need to get a dog and let it sleep in your bedroom if you want to get rid of that cat ! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Natalie Thiele

    Marburger again. What fun! I just went back through your archives to relive last year’s exciting tales. Steven, the wild story teller! The cowboy!
    It will be a different set of adventures this year with FH in tow. Can hardly wait to hear about it.

    Reply
  7. Gina

    Dear Corey, We are coming to your side of the big water. I know what you mean about getting ready to leave. I laughed out loud at the line “I cleaned the fridge, one bite at a time”. I’ve been there.
    Have a wonderful trip.

    Reply
  8. Penny

    Ewwww, that is the worst of smells and hard to eradicate. Is the cat getting in through an open window? There are some sprays you can get . . .
    That mad rush before a long trip and what we eat and toss in cleaning the fridge! Oh my, but worth the rush for your trip again this year, with French husband it tow. How fun will that be and what stories you will tell us all.
    Safe travel.

    Reply
  9. Tracy

    Corey, will you be at Marburger all week? Are you selling or buying? (or both?) (;

    Reply
  10. Debra P.

    Corey, have a wonderful and safe trip. Oh, how I wish I could make it to Texas!

    Reply
  11. Beachy

    Corey, there is a product here called “Nature’s Miracle”. It really does remove the cat pee stench! We had an ill kitty last year who would ONLY pee behind a chair in the livingroom… it would smell up the entire first floor of the house! My brother told me about this stuff, and I tried it (doubting its ability)… and it WORKED! If you can get some while you’re here you should buy some (hoping you can take it or send it back to France). All the major pet stores carry it (it’s a plastic bottle of liquid).

    Reply
  12. linda marcov

    Marburger will put Yann in a perfect swoon…. can’t wait to look up and see your lovely face smiling at me! and there beside you will be a tall handsome man with glazed eyes, that look like they will pop out of his head at any moment. Love You.

    Reply
  13. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    RESOLVE will take the smell out. It’s the only cat pee remover product that I’ve found works.
    FH will love the adventure with YOU! Better to be there with you than to hear about it from afar like last time. Enjoy!

    Reply
  14. ellen cassilly

    We are so excited to see you. There are a few antique spots here but they pale in comparision to what you have and what you will see in Marburger so I hesitate.

    Reply
  15. Hillary

    Oh, I understand the hating the smell of cat pee. We have 4 and one is old and hateful so she likes to pee on bath mats and towels. You will have to get some of the Nature’s Miracle like suggested above, it really works well.
    The weather this week in North Carolina will be perfect for a visit. Makes me happy to know that we will be in the same state for a bit. Enjoy your trip!! Can’t wait to see what all you will find!

    Reply
  16. Chris Wittmann

    I don’t know about Nature’s Miracle Corey but having had as many as 28 cats in our farmhouse at one time (all spayed and neutered I might ad…all strays, abandoned, injured etc) I can tell you THE BEST thing to remove cat urine odors and anything else for that matter is good old fashioned bleach and water! It works great, and it’s cheap, and it’s also great for mold, mildew and any other nasty odor.
    Bon voyage and enjoy California!! I hope you are not going to be near any of those horrible fires.

    Reply
  17. Sharon, Morrison Mercantile

    Nothing worse then poo/pee from a cat!!
    Happy traveling….

    Reply
  18. Everton Terrace

    Can’t wait to hear what FB thinks of Marburger! You might as well get a kitty litter box.

    Reply
  19. Marilyn

    You will have so much fun traveling with FH. He will definitely catch the bug. Now for the cat, I think drastic measures are needed. How about a giant mouse trap? There must be one of those at the brocante.

    Reply
  20. Shelley@thiswhiteshed.blogspot.com

    Perhaps you’ll see Magnolia Pearl at Marburger, her regular ‘big show’…imagine my two vicarious lives side by side! I wonder what they’re impressions will be!

    Reply
  21. Anne Gsolfot

    Oh, Corey, How did you know I needed a great laugh this morning? You took me completely by surprise. I love your Blog and read it every day but I don’t expect to get such a kick out of it.
    My ‘tried-and-true’ method for getting rid of the odor is to cover the area with a thick layer of baking soda. Leave in place for at least two days. I always tamped it down well so that I was sure it was into all the spaces. Then vacuum up. Should be sweet-smelling. Sometimes it might need a second treatment if it is an older spot.
    Enjoy your trip back to the US.
    XOXOXO

    Reply
  22. Shelley@thiswhiteshed.blogspot.com

    oops, meant to spell ‘their’ impressions will be. mixed up mid-life, menopausal moment.

    Reply
  23. Kathie B

    “…just as my neighbor’s cat jumped out the window.”
    At the risk of stating the obvious, how did the cat get IN? Through the same window, presumably. Could you set the window to a narrow enough slit so a cat can’t get in?
    Are you eventually proceeding to California on this trip? If so, you might like to meet a family friend who lives not too far from Willows. I phoned her to wish her a Happy 103rd Birthday, because they don’t seem to make birthday cards specifically for past age 100.

    Reply
  24. Franca Bollo

    Fess up, Coco. What’d you do to that cat?

    Reply
  25. Bramble

    Have a wonderful trip! As for that cat…screens?

    Reply
  26. me.yahoo.com/a/n4ElTc8CnPtIc51Evgho86HE

    NOTHING WOULD GET DONE IF IT WASNT FOR THE
    LAST MINUTE!!!! and the cat did the same mad
    dash… happy usa trip…

    Reply
  27. Jo

    Have a blast visiting the shows, family and friends. Such fun for you and FH to really get away for awhile. It will make home feel that much more wonderful! I’m sure the kids can’t wait to see you! Bon Voyage!

    Reply
  28. stacy

    You’re coming to Texas too! Has French Husband ever been to Texas? WOOHOOO. too bad you aren’t coming thru Dallas =( have great trips – can’t wait to hear all about it.

    Reply
  29. Cathy

    Ah, yes, Eau de Cat Pee. I know it well. I have several indoor cats and my males took up spraying a few years back (not sure why — they were all neutered as babies). Nature’s Miracle, Resolve, baking soda, vinegar and water all work for our noses, but be prepared to use them over and over as the cat will still be able to track his scent (even if you can’t) and will probably do it in the same spot again. Resolve has a more pleasant smell to me than some of the others which are almost as bad as the cat pee.

    Reply
  30. Judi

    You are going to be in so much trouble with him at Marburger at your side. I think you should keep an eye on him or you’ll have to hitchhike to Willows.

    Reply
  31. Jenny N

    I had a cat and I loved my cat because she was very trained or otherwise she would have been a gone cat if she dared to pee that toxic ammonia laden smell that is cat pee in my house. And about Marburger!…I just got my email reminder today about the dates and reflected upon how joyful it was meeting you last year. Then I pondered going. I can’t imagine FH at the big as Texas-style broncante. what fun. I am still toying with going and hope that you share more about the deets (my slang for details).

    Reply
  32. Madeleine Doak

    You’re going to Marburger? Are you going to be a vendor? How will I find you?! It’s not very far from where I live and, after enjoying your blog for so long, I’d love to meet you and, if you’re a vendor, shop!

    Reply
  33. Lucy Rogers

    My friend John Sauls started Marburger!!!!! Tell him HI from Lindy in Emerald Bay (Tyler, TX) with all the kids and the Great Dane!!!! I wish you could stay for First Monday in Canton, TX.
    http://www.firstmondaycanton.com/
    I know you would love it! I would gladly show you around-I have been going there since I was a little girl…
    If you get out this way (East TX), find me and y’all can stay here!
    imborp@embarqmail.com

    Reply
  34. Rhonda P.

    I’m trying to pull a Thelma and Louise and drive to Texas for Marburger with a good friend. Yahoo – I need some cowgirl boots and I hope I see you. I will keep my fingers crossed.

    Reply
  35. M

    minou, minou!
    much though i like my neighbors’ pets, that little chat d’ alle’ would have been pussy pudding long since for leaving tokens of affection, probably along with french neighbor.
    while you are in north carolina, hit a petsmart or two and stock up on the kind of bitter apple spray used stateside to deter pet presents, etc. (spray it on door saddles and window sills.) on the other hand, if you are cruising big boxes on the way to kitty hawk, several rolls of old fashioned window screening might be a sensible purchase, even if they have to be shipped back to brocanteville.
    of course, since french husband brought you a dead mouse the other day, too, perhaps, being a kindred spirit to belle chat, he should be left to deal with the problem……..
    bon chance. m

    Reply

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