Do you smell Skunk?

  Anyone who lives anywhere has smelled that smell...the horrible odor of Skunk. Nature gave this little fellow a real killer weapon to strike fear and horror in all around them...and yet they are just so darned cute!

Some of the funniest stories of my life revolve around skunks.  My Father told of a run in he had with a skunk that really had a happy ending.  In summer he often went to bed with the door open to let the air circulate through the old house.

The hinges on the screen door were broken so it was hooked out of the way.  It meant the dogs could go in and out and Dad's cat  ( a sweet little black and white female called Spots) could come and sleep with him.

Dad tells of one morning when Spots didn't want to jump up on the bed but stood beside the bed to get her back scratched...Dad thought it was odd as she usually purred and meowed a but, this morning she was quiet.    Well he rubbed her back for a while and then thought he had a lot to do and he had better get up.      So he rolled over and moved to get out of bed, he stopped dead! Staring back at him from the floor was not Spot at all but a young skunk!   The two of them stared at each other and the skunk figured his back scratcher was hopeless and sauntered out of the house!  WHEW!  My Father figured he didn't get sprayed because he was calm and quiet and the skunk was just curious!   Needless to say the screen door got replaced.

We teased him about his cat for a very long time.

Did you know Mother skunks are really strict teachers?   Years ago my Border collie "Boo" was a teaching aide for our local Momma Skunk.  She would arrive with her babies one or two and one year with three of the cutest and smelliest babies I had seen!   She would take them to the spring for a drink of water then head up the draw to the anthills.  About halfway up the trail she would  pause to see if "Boo" had seen her!  Sure enough he would rush off to chase her away. Now it got entertaining!

PPP  sss  TTT

The Mother Skunk would line her babies up and demonstrate how to flip their butts to spray!  Of course they didn't all get it right or pay attention and she would go over to the misbehaving baby and swat him with her paw....meanwhile "Boo" would be getting the brunt of her demonstration sprays.  It was hilarious and chaotic as a me-lee ensued with skunks and dog!  After a few tries baby skunks would line up and flip their butts, Momma skunk would be the proud Mother and "Boo" would head home a sadder wiser dog....and yes I would break out the bulk Febreze!

Febreze really is a good way to deal with skunk

Have you ever had anyone ask you if you smelled Skunk?  This brings me a to a tale of the duration of Skunk scent and how it leaches into things!  One Morning years ago I was getting dressed to go to work, I had let my dog Skye out for the day and was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, sounds like a mundane morning with nothing on the horizon to make it memorable.  So wrong!  I heard a great crash and yelping from the porch!  I have the cat food on the top of the deep freeze so Skye will leave it for the cats, but she occasionally will bark at them so I assumed she was trying to get their food so I went to straighten it out.

I opened the porch door to have Skye blast by me and rub on the furniture as I watched a horrified Skunk head out the of the porch at high speed!  It had been eating cat food and Skye was protecting her farm...not good in an enclosed space!  The smell was terrible and I quickly shut the door.   Skye meanwhile was rubbing her face on the couch and chair and anything she could to get the sting out of her eyes.  I quickly got the febreze and sprayed her  everywhere and knowing how bad the porch smelled put her out using the bathroom window.!  I then sprayed all the furniture and followed Skye out of the house through the bathroom window!

I didn't think she had got any spray on me and of I went to work!  At the oddest times customers at the truck stop would ask me if there was a skunk around? Humn! Nooooo  I don't think so I would reply and the when they left I would go and get air freshener  spray and  gently waft it through the store!

Floral scent does not always make skunk odor smell better!

It was a long day!  When I got home I stepped into the porch to a horrendous smell! It was rank and I used an entire bottle of febreze in the small area!  The house itself was not to bad as I had sprayed it before I left.  Skye  was okay...but she did have a certain embarrassed air to her!  It had been quite a day, anything that might have come in contact with Skye was tossed unceremoniously into the old wringer washer I kept outside for  washing work clothes and I cleaned the top of the deep freeze with bleach! In the battle of dog  versus Skunk..I have to admit the skunks are winning!

This tale is not quite done...winter rolls around and one cold day I get an invitation to  my good friends for a game night.  Can I bring the Farming game?   Of course...it is such fun to get together for cookies, Hot chocolate and a cut throat game of Farming! Nothing better on a Winter evening!  I get the game off the top shelf of my bookcase beside the couch and head over to Kate's.  Everyone is anticipating a fierce game!  We get the board out and start the game.  Heated competition ensues with lots of laughter and treats......

Suddenly Kate asks...does anyone smell Skunk?

The Farming Game...look it up it is a blast!

That very night we wrote a new Farmers Fate card just for us..it involved a skunk, the porch and a huge dry cleaning bill for all the farm work clothes!

Yes the skunks are still wining the war but thanks to a farm sense of humor and a huge supply of Febreze we will go on!

Hummmm  now do you smell Skunk?