Rebecca warned me. She said she saw a skunk in her back yard a couple nights ago and it was going into the yard between hers and ours. Who thinks about an early morning conversation at 10:00 pm when the dogs are asking to go out before bed? George and I were even talking about it earlier in the evening while sitting on the back patio and enjoying the evening fresh air. But that was hours ago and we were all tired and ready for bed.
Well, the dogs went out and made a bee line for the corner of the back yard. My first thought? The cats were back. I called off the dogs, but they ignored me, of course. Then, walking along the back fence, I saw a small black animal with a white stripe. SKUNK! I screamed for George “there’s a skunk”. In his underwear he came running to the back door and called the dogs. Too late.
It was raining and only 10:00 pm. What the hell is a skunk doing out that early, and in the rain? Shouldn’t it be hiding in its little home somewhere? Shouldn’t it be keeping itself out of the rain? Shouldn’t it be in someone else’s yard? We have dogs and the smell of dogs all through our yard. Why would it even try to visit us? The dogs knew it didn’t belong here, why didn’t the skunk know it? Dumb skunk.
Tomato juice for both dogs. Man it stinks. Then soap and water. Man it stinks. Then deodorizing wipes. Man it stinks. Toss out the towels. Man it stinks. Toss out the rugs from the kitchen that they stepped on. Man it stinks. Toss out the ton of paper towels used to wipe down the dogs. Man it stinks. Toss out T-shirts that we wore while wiping down the dogs. Man It Stinks!
Oh, did I mention that the dogs never did piddle when they went out? With all the excitement, they forgot. So now, in the rain, after the skunk, we’ve got to figure out how to get the dogs out to do their business. Out with the leashes and walking in the FRONT yard. Sort of like closing the barn door after the horse is gone, but we were not taking any chances that the skunk was brazen enough to hang around after the dogs chased him (or her) out of our yard.
Came back into the house and Oh My Gosh, Man it stinks! Maybe we should have wiped down the dogs in the back yard. Oh yeah, the skunk was still out there somewhere in the rain. Oh well, do we have any room deodorizer? Thank goodness for Renuzit Cones, and Fabreeze Super Oder Eliminator, and Oust Super Oder Eliminator. I don’t know which was worse, the smell of the skunk or the smell of all those deodorizers. Imagine this if you can, sweet pungent deodorizer over skunk. I don’t want to imagine it or remember it. Ugh!
Now, to sleep? Yeah right. This morning, thankfully, it is cool with low humidity and a mild breeze. The windows are open all around the house and a fresh breeze is wafting through. It’s taking out with it both the skunk and the deodorizer scents. Today’s grocery list? It contains gallons of ammonia to soak rags and place around the yard to keep the skunk out. New dog collars for both dogs. New and brighter light bulbs for the back porch light. New rugs for the kitchen. MORE TOMATO JUICE! Oh, and I think I’m going to take a nap today.