Skunk

Changed Our Tune – Day 992

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I Dare You to Try Putting Me Out – Photo: L. Weikel

Changed Our Tune

Oh, how we changed our tune. The photo above is of a cat that is saying, “If you try to put me out, I will become feral in a way that you’ve never seen before. You will regret your decision and require stitches for the gaping wounds I intend to inflict upon you. You will rue your decision; of that, I am certain.” Don’t be fooled by that coy expression on his face. Trust me when I tell you, the flicking of the tail is deadly serious.

And it’s true. For the last four or five days, I’ve had to struggle to ‘put the cat out’ before I came to bed, and most of those nights I’ve failed spectacularly. Meaning I’ve given up and gone to bed, resigned to the fact that the beast will wake Karl up and demand to be let out when it’s more to his liking.

As I’ve written before, Cletus fancies himself a badass, Philly-style, and yet nothing could be further from the truth. He excels at getting his own way. And it’s not just with us. He wields his massive, long-haired tail like a scepter – or something more dangerous.

This Happens Occasionally

This refusal to take his normal dark-hour pilgrimage is initially perplexing. But it’s happened before, so it’ll likely happen again. After all, we have a lot of wild creatures living in our midst. And it only stands to reason that sometimes things can get a little scary for our handsome boy.

And yes, I do believe it’s his handsomeness that is making his nightly forays less desirable. He’s attracted a suitor and it’s not to his liking.

Karl and I both noticed his weird behavior as he approaches our kitchen door lately. Clearly, it’s that time of night and his wanderlust has once again risen unbidden. He wants to go out. He needs to go out. He begs, he yowls, he follows us around and asks to go out. He pulls the massive wooden door to our kitchen open with his paw, creaking as it swings open.

But when we walk toward the door? He backs away. He hisses at us. He acts as if it’s our idea that he go out and play with others. If I manage to corral him safely enough toward the kitchen door that I feel I can nudge him into outside, he furtively looks both ways as he almost holds his breath and plunges out the door. It’s the weirdest thing. He almost looks like a cop bursting into an abandoned building, his handgun cocked and ready for anything.

It’s quite obvious he’s been spooked and is afraid he’ll get ambushed yet again.

Could Be Anything – But I Think It’s Love

As I’ve mentioned, even just sitting here on the couch, I’ve heard foxes yipping and owls calling in to each other in the trees. Coyotes live in the vicinity as well – and there have even been a few bear sightings recently. Opossums routinely munch on the sunflower seeds.

But it was last night that I discovered a clue. I’ve made it a habit to turn on both the porch light and the garage’s floodlight before I let the cat out. Just in case, I want to scare anything away.

Last night Mr. (or very well may be Mrs.) Gorgeous was back on the premises. I saw it hanging around the garage.

Aha. It’s Pepé Le Pew! Cletus has a suitor! And a pungent one, at that.

Unsurprisingly, it all makes sense.

Gorgeous, Again – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-119)

Gorgeous – Day 740

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Our new friend – Photo: L. Weikel

Gorgeous

I was going to title this post ‘Reputation,’ since that’s the keyword attributed to Skunk in my tried and true Medicine Cards* by Jamie Sams and David Carson. But after I looked at the photos I have to share, there really is only one word that comes to mind. Gorgeous.

Just look at this amazing creature. I can only presume this is the same one that got spooked last week (and let it’s displeasure be known) when Spartacus suddenly bounded in its direction. Clearly Spartacus’s presence has not dissuaded it from finding the plethora of sunflower seeds much to its liking and well worth the stress of dealing with a cat and a dog that uncannily resemble some of its closest relatives. (What is it with us and black-and-white pets?)

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Cletus and our Skunk Friend are involved in a little inter-species flirtation. They bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. In fact, I saw Stinky bolt from underneath the feeders, waddling furiously to take refuge, alarmingly, underneath my car. Had I not seen Cletus bound down the flagstone path only moments before, I would have assumed it was he and not given it another thought. They’re almost identical in size and fluff.

But just look at this skunk’s luxurious pelt! Its back is almost entirely white with a black stripe – as opposed to black with a white stripe – and its ample and impressive tail is adorned with a flourish of brilliance.

Adorable – Photo: L. Weikel

Sassy and Adorable

What gets me is the sassy and adorable attitude. I know I should be viewing this beautiful beast’s presence in our yard with more dismay, but I can’t. I love that it’s sharing space with us, at least for the time being. I just hope Spartacus has learned to be at least a bit more circumspect when catching sight of it.

And it most definitely feels quite at home. The other night, when I took these photos, it initially loped in a frenzy to take refuge underneath my car. But it bravely peeked out and waddled back toward the porch where I was standing within less than a minute. I was astonished.

I took a cute little video of it meandering around the yard. It didn’t seem to mind at all that I’d flooded the area with light from the garage and porch. It ventured over our Hill of Moss and trotted through piles of leaves, stopped to sniff and snuffle at the base of our maple tree until nonchalantly returning to the source of its evening repast: our birdfeeders. All the while, I sat on the porch videoing and photographing it.

I was reminded of the hilarious video about the honey badger. Honey Badger “just don’t give a shit” – and neither does our resident skunk.

There’s a lesson here for me – and probably a lot of us. Perhaps on a lot of levels. I just know it.

Just look at that tail – Photo: L. Weikel

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(T-371)

Pungent Pooch – Day 730

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Bath Bummer – Photo: L. Weikel

Pungent Pooch

I’m keeping it light tonight. Light and short. Given my post from last night and my delusions of the stink ‘not being that bad,’ I’ve paid the price wrought by my pungent pooch all day.

I don’t know if I was just so tired last night that I persuaded myself to believe Spartacus hadn’t received a ‘direct hit’ by the visiting skunk or what, but wow – I walked into our living room this morning and, umm, I definitely could tell that Spartacus had hung out there last night.

Even though I did whip up some of the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/mild detergent concoction last night and washed him cursorily, I got the distinct impression that I’d not done enough. So Spart and I did a deep dive this morning, as can be seen. Tomorrow I’m going to give this stuff a try – based on the recommendation of a friend whose baby, Augie, has also probably seen his share of the wrong end of skunk.

There’s something here in the living room that’s harboring the stench. I think it might be an errant pillow hiding on me, for I’ve done three loads of wash, tackling every single blanket he may have even thought about cuddling in last night, yet still something…SOMETHING…is emitting a mighty waft.

I’m tired.

I’m also finding the stench of poor losers and those who lie and cast aspersions on our democratic process without any proof are also exhausting.

Silly me, I thought maybe – maybe – we were putting all this behind us. Apparently not yet.

Definitely a stench of another kind, but a stench nevertheless.

(T-381)

Stinky Surprise – Day 729

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Stinky Surprise

Everybody chime in with me: “If it’s not one thing…” Yeah. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. And we actually encountered a handful of circumstances today that would fit that bill, the latest (but a mere 90 minutes or so ago) was a most stinky surprise.

You can guess what happened. We were watching an episode of one of our latest distractions (Patriot, a quirky and unpredictable series on Amazon Prime), when Spartacus woke up and asked to go out. Karl did his bidding and opened the kitchen door, whereupon Spartacus took off like a shot.

Now, we routinely try to make sure there aren’t critters hanging around the yard when we let Spart out, but sometimes we forget to check. He’s had a couple of encounters with opossums, raccoons, and deer – but it’s been a while since he’s encountered a stinky surprise. (Thank goodness, I might add.)

But alas…

Good Boy

I could tell Karl sensed trouble was ahead just by the tone of his voice as he called out to Spartacus. When I jumped up and joined Karl, calling to him, I saw that he was trotting up toward the house like a good boy. While seeming a bit reticent, like maybe he knew he might’ve done something he knew he regretted but wasn’t quite sure, he entered the kitchen and headed toward his water bowl.

The skunk stink wafted into the kitchen like PigPen’s cloud of dust as he passed by me. But his fur wasn’t ruffled, and he didn’t have the same ‘look’ about him as the last time he got skunked. Clearly, he’d been in the vicinity of a spooked skunk. But had he been nailed? It looked like he’d endured a ‘near miss.’

I’ve had to deal with these circumstances before, so I knew if he was the victim of a direct hit, I’d have to run out to the grocery or drug store for a couple of bottles of hydrogen peroxide. Sadly, because this isn’t our first rodeo (with Sheila too – she was no angel in her younger years), I knew the remedy of bathing in tomato juice is ineffective. Nope, I had direct experience with this recipe, and I know it works.

Slightly (But Enough!) Stinky Boy – Photo: L. Weikel

Tangential Hit

We quickly herded Spart back outside onto the porch. Walking out the door, it was as if we were walking into a cloud. Precious was on the porch, looking totally freaked out, and Cletus was nowhere to be found. I got down on my hands and knees and put my nose right up to Spart’s fur (a dangerous undertaking, believe me). It wasn’t him; or at least it wasn’t a direct hit. It almost seemed as if he may have walked through the spray after the fact. I did notice his mouth seemed to be watering a bit, but sniffing his head and neck, it didn’t seem to be giving off any greater amount of stink than anywhere else.

The mouth watering worried me, though. While I was glad that at least it wasn’t in his eyes, it did look like he might’ve gotten a mouthful. Ack! The last time he got majorly nailed by a skunk, his entire face, including his eyes, nose and mouth had been drenched. And his stench had been so powerful at that time that I’d nearly passed out while trying to clean him up.

The Remedy

While utterly and disconcertingly smelly, I still don’t think he sustained a direct hit. Although I will confess, I mixed up some of the remedy* (baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a little bit of shampoo) and washed his face and mouth, and even down his back. Sadly, and somewhat inexplicably, I can still smell it.

Whether it was a direct or tangential hit, the skunk definitely made its presence known. And of course me being me, I am compelled to consider the potential message it was bringing. Skunk is all about reputation – having self-confidence in your own abilities and gifts and realizing that your ‘reputation precedes you.’ Perhaps we might benefit from reflecting on how our self-esteem is holding up?

Whatever. If it’s not one thing…

*Note! You need to be careful mixing these items; it can be dangerous. You should also wear gloves. I learned that the hard way.

Sassy – Photo: National Geographic

(T-382)

Nope – Day 265

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From afar – Photo: L. Weikel

Nope. Not Yet.

No, I didn’t suss out the message being brought to me by Swan and Skunk. Not today, anyway. Not yet.

Rather than pondering that mystery, I became distracted by an unexpected sighting as I was sitting, yet again, by the creek. In fact, I was sitting in exactly the same spot I’d been sitting days ago when the Golden Vinyl Swan became marooned before me.

I don’t even know how I initially spotted it, to be honest. It’s quite unobtrusive, when viewed from afar. In fact, the leaves of the weeds it was climbing hid it from view from many angles. I just happened to see it because of the unique perspective I had, sitting where I was.

Greater My Willingness, Better the Shots

I think what was coolest about this distraction was how my willingness to get closer and closer to my subject kept yielding better and better photos.

The photo I placed at the top of this post was, in my estimation, decent enough. More than decent, in fact! I was pleased by how sharp the shot was and how lovely my caterpillar friend appeared.

Perspective – Photo: L. Weikel

Then I realized all at once that this caterpillar was very unlikely to move quickly. I might actually not only get closer but also zoom in to discover even more loveliness.

And so it came to pass.

I absolutely love my iPhone and the quality of photos I’m able to take with it.

From my vantage point, all I saw was the form of a caterpillar walking up the stalk of a rather large wildflower. Had I not undertaken an impromptu ‘study’ of this leaf muncher, I never would have had the opportunity to revel in its beauty – or share it with all of you.

The whole experience of this discovery made my afternoon. Even if it did distract me from contemplating the Swan/Skunk mystery. Perhaps the understanding of that will reveal itself tomorrow.

(T-846)

What’s the Message? – Day 264

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I Better Pay Attention

Anyone who makes an effort to pick Medicine Cards®on a regular basis knows how odd – but almost always significant – it is to go weeks or months or perhaps even longer without choosing a particular card, only to suddenly begin doing so. And it’s even weirder when you start choosing that card repeatedly, whether it be ‘on the top’ (meaning it’s the primary card you chose) or ‘on the bottom’ (meaning it’s literally the card on the bottom of the deck no matter where in the deck you chose your ‘main’ card from). The ‘bottom’ card is used to add context or sometimes a hint or clue as to what area in your life to which the main card might apply.

Well, over the past week, I chose Swan for the first time in a very, very long time. Specifically, the first time, I chose Swan/Weasel. Then I chose it again today. Swan/Skunk.

Two days before the first time I chose Swan (six days ago), Skunk started showing up, too. Indeed, Skunk showed up two days before Swan appeared, then for two days running a few days later, then one last time again – today.

My apologies if this seems a bit ‘in the weeds.’ My point is to show that Swan has not been an integral player in my life for a very long time, nor has Skunk – but now they’re both showing up. And I think I better pay attention. So I do…

Spirit’s Not So Sure

I assert (to myself, to Spirit) that I’m paying attention; I’m ‘all good,’ and indeed, I’m doing just fine thank you very much.

Yes, hmm. Swan has shown up in my life. OK. I’m supposed to ‘trust’ and ‘surrender’ – perhaps even literally journey for myself (as opposed to all the journeying I do on behalf of clients), in order to determine what my ‘next steps’ are.

I wrote about it a bit in my journal. But I’ll confess: I did not write much. I was sort of blowing it off; thinking I knew what it was driving at. Assuming. Indeed, I was acting as if I knew, at least superficially, what message Swan was bringing me.

Smack Upside the Head

Imagine my surprise, then, the other day, when I was sitting by the creek writing in my journal, when the following vision appeared before my eyes:

Special Delivery Messenger? – Photo: L. Weikel

I’ll be honest: this felt pretty freaking momentous. It felt playful – but insistent. After all, in some ways, a big blow-up golden Swan floating into my life was even more startling and clearly a message than had a regular, full-feathered Swan made an appearance.

Nevertheless (I’ll admit it), I blew that off, too. Well. Not entirely. I took a photo of it. I wrote about it in my journal. But I didn’t sit with it in all seriousness. I didn’t truly reflect on its meaning.

Which Brings Me To Today

Yet again, I chose Swan/Skunk today. These two archetypal energies have been hanging around me now for about two good weeks. Slipping in and out of my daily picks, flirting with my consciousness, floating down the Tohickon in real life and marooning itself on a rock right in front of where I was sitting and writing.

Yeah. I’m thinking there’s a message Spirit wants me to pay attention to and receive. Perhaps, if I’m diligent, I’ll figure it out tomorrow.

Photo: wildsafebc.com

(T-847)