Something Stinks, or There's a Foul Odor in My New Studio

So here it is. My new studio. I'm partially moved in, and have 2 paintings I'm ready to dive into. The one on the left is almost done. The one on the right has just barely been started.

Two things are stopping me from getting to work. Well, maybe three. Actually, maybe four.

Excuse #1
In the foreground, you see buckets of paint. I'm deep into painting walls and floors in our new home. I keep thinking, I'll just do one more project. That one leads to another. The domino effect.

Excuse #2
My son Mat is coming home from college tomorrow. I'm very excited. Since we're brand new to the area and have been deep into house renovation, we really haven't explored Oracle, much less the surrounding area. There are all kinds of possibilities out there, and I'd love to spend time with Mat and his Dad checking things out.

Excuse #3
The Odor. Several weeks ago, it came to my attention that something was living in the wall and ceiling of my studio bathroom. I could hear activity–scuttling about with scritchy-scratchy little feet. Upon examination, I discovered numerous fecal offerings. Too large for a mouse.

We got a trap. The nice kind, kind. You trap the critter and take it far away and let it go. Our friend tripped the trap, got the food and got away. While Jim was on the ladder retrieving the empty trap, he looked down, and guess what was at the foot of the ladder? Yes, our friend the pack rat. Jim captured him (her) and took it on a ride out to some open land, where he let it go.

End of story?

Well, I haven't heard any noises. But I thought I was beginning to detect a bit of an odor in the studio. Every day it's gotten a little worse. This morning when I opened the door, I was bowled over by the smell. It literally made my eyes water. Even with the doors and windows open, the smell prevails.

Now what to do? Do I have dead baby Pack Rats in my wall? An unexpected dilemma.

Is this just an excuse? Maybe. Perhaps I should acquire some sort of gas mask to wear while working in my brand new studio. Or tear out the wall and see what's inside. A kind of CSI for the art studio.

Excuse #4

This is the real reason. Whenever I have a period of time when I'm not working, it's really difficult to get back into it. When I paint on a daily basis, I'm happy. I'm fulfilled. When I'm not working regularly, I get nasty. But somehow, it's devilishly hard to get started again. It doesn't make sense, but, there it is.