Are the renters trying to kill us??

I got home from work yesterday, walked into the house, and I was sure I smelled natural gas.  A had been cooking – baked ham for dinner and he was boiling corn on the cob for dinner.  I thought maybe the smell was just from using the oven.  I mentioned it to A, but A has a really poor sense of smell and didn’t notice anything.  He’d also been in the house quite a while.

I was frustrated.  I didn’t know if I should be legitimately concerned or if I was being paranoid.  And the other 3 in the house were no help.  A, W, and Addie couldn’t confirm if I was actually smelling something.  A asked if I wanted him to call the gas department.  I wasn’t sure.  Should I ask a neighbor to come over and smell my house?  Not exactly the first impression you want to make on new neighbors and it looked like our next door neighbors weren’t home.  Should I call my mom and ask her to come over and smell the house?  That seemed like a huge inconvenience to her.

I told A we’d eat dinner and then go for a walk to get some fresh air and clear my head nose.  We did just that and after returning, I walked in the house and was sure I still smelled something.

A called the gas department while I continued to tell him that I felt really stupid, was worried the fire department would come and cause a scene, was worried W would be getting to bed really late, blah, blah, blah.  A kindly assured me that it was best to be safe and even told the gas department that he and his wife smelled gas.  Very sweet since I was sure I was being paranoid and everything would turn out fine.

We all played in the back yard while waiting for the gas man.  He arrived and A went into the house with him while W, Addie, and I stayed outside.  A and the gas guy were in the house FOREVER.  I actually texted him asking if he was still alive.  I should add that we were instructed to keep the lights off so the house was pretty dark and I couldn’t see or hear either the gas guy or A.  Also, the dog was going completely bonkers.  She hated that a stranger was in the house and continued to jump and bark the entire.freaking.time.  I was trying to shush her while keeping an eye on W, which was pretty much a failure.  It was stressful and I was ready to be done with the little adventure.

Anyway, when all was said and done, my suspicions were confirmed.  The dryer had a leak.  The gas man (is there a better name for him?  Gas man seems inappropriate.) was able to repair it and kindly told us it was on him.  The oven was also leaking.  Apparently typical carbon monoxide readings for ovens are 50 units and ours was getting as high as 110.  Not good.  And it may have been much higher previously since the oven had been on for quite a while cooking the ham.  We now have a disconnected oven and will have to find out if its repairable or if we need a new one.

So why do I think the renters are trying to kill us?  Well, the dryer was the one thing that belonged to them.  We purchased it from them.  And I suspect they installed it themselves (and did a poor job of it).  I find it hard to believe that the first time we use the oven, it just so happens to develop a significant leak rendering it unusable.  And finally, the renters gave us their lawnmower and it doesn't seem to work.  Hmm…

On the bright side, we’re all alive. J  Albeit very tired and cranky after a long night (at least I am).  But this situation could’ve been much worse.