DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

When I came home from rehearsal Wednesday night, I noticed a slightly funky smell in the kitchen. I couldn’t find any obvious explanation; the smell seemed to hang in the middle of the room without having actually come from anywhere.

Thursday afternoon the indoor temperature hit 90°, hot enough to melt the fatbucket. The heat must have advanced the mystery decay; by Thursday night the odor had aquired an unpleasant piquancy: an edge of sewer scent to accompany the rottenness. I began to search, nose first.

I sniffed under the sink (dank vinyl floor scrap, cleaning products in plastic bottles). I sniffed the refrigerator (fresh produce). I sniffed the baking cabinet (dusty grains). I sniffed the tea and spice cabinet (a wild mix of dried, crushed plant parts). Desperate, I started to sniff the silverware drawer when I realized what the source of the bad smell must be.

Oh yeah! That pan of discarded sourdough starter that’s been sitting on the counter for 30 days! Gah.