Oh boy what a mess! Mom-In-Law's (MIL) sewer line plumbing problem required a complete replacement of the 50-year-old line from a corner in the back of her home's basement all the way across the floor and to the front foundation wall! Expensive, really hard work (for the Roto-Rooter guys), and a huge smelly mess. It also meant destruction of the house's tile floor, laid by MIL's late husband back when the house was new. That's actually the sad part.
It's a really bad thing to happen but, as it turns out, once the poorly-installed, broken-down pipe is replaced from the house, through the front yard, and to the street, MIL's drains will work much better and a "mystery odor" will likely disappear.
Since the plumbing's out, MIL is staying with us for the duration. I took an emergency day off from work to help clear the MIL's basement for demolition work and to look after her for the afternoon.
A beautiful part of the day was the blooming of She Who Must Be Obeyed's asiatic lilies — large, lovely, sweetly-scented blooms. The mid-afternoon sun backlit one of the flowers and I excused myself from a conversation with MIL in order to record the image before the sun sank behind our garage.
PhotonStopper 
I hear replacing those pipes can be insanely $$$$$$! Beautiful lily by the way!
You know… I think Mom-In-Law's late husband paid less to buy their house new, 50+ years ago, than this plumbing job will cost!!! Glad I don't have to pay for it. Thanks. — JG