Skunked!

We were skunked, not twenty minutes ago.

>.<

o.O

It started out an early night, with my tucking in both boys at 9:15pm--- very early, considering the younger boy, age three, usually catches a late nap and is then up until midnight. I was groggy from my allergy meds (taken to help dry up my nose from the cold my older son generously gave me last week), and I received a phone call. I tried to keep it short, in an attempt to keep the younger son in a sleeping mood, but then the older boy, age eight, kept getting out of bed and sneaking around. I gave in and let him join the two of us in my somewhat empty king-sized bed. Lucy, our Schnoodle, was also in the jumble, snuggled under the covers between us.

Then that dreadful squalling began.

I knew exactly what it was, because I've heard it before... almost always just before that awful, peppery stench starts seeping upward into the house. It's a real-life nightmare, one I hope I never experience in my sleep.

Then Lucy heard it and scrambled out of the covers to investigate, followed by my preschooler. I knew there was no danger, so I stayed in bed, trying to ignore it... until my second-grader piped up.

"Mom, Danny's making noise."

Deep breath. "No, dear. That's not Danny. That's the skunk."

"But he's doing this:" and he demonstrates.

"Sweetheart, that is the skunk."

By this time the blasted skunk has run under my bedroom floor, directly under us, still screaming at whatever demon is chasing it. It must be a demon--- what other creature alive dares to continue to attack a skunk after being sprayed numerous times? S/he's so close I can actually hear the spraying--- a first for me! And Lucy has joined in the fray... or at least as closely as she can while still being separated from her prey by floorboards. Her excited barks, amazingly, do nothing for the skunk.

I find this odd, actually. I understand that skunks hate dogs, so I was sure that Lucy's shrill barks would trigger yet more spraying... but I am beginning to think that instead, her yelps scared off the skunk's attacker, saving us from yet more malodorous offerings.

Thank God for that!!

My sleepiness is gone now. I did try to go back to sleep, but the boys would hear nothing of it. I finally made them a bed on the futon couch in the living room, where the stench is much less strong. Oddly, the worst place is the bathroom, probably because it's closed up (preschooler prevention program--- I'm tired of fishing entire rolls of toilet paper out of the toilet). I'll have to go open up the tiny window in the shower to let it air out overnight.

On a lark, I decided (just before writing this blog post) to look up what predators the skunk has. So far I've discovered that they include Great Horned Owls, coyotes and dogs, cougars, bobcats and foxes... none of which are under my house, I'm certain!

The fun thing is that I have a parenting class tomorrow at 9am... and my clothes will, as they always do after an adventure like this one, bear that oh, so pleasant aroma of eau de skunk. What will be even better is if the facilitators decide it smells like pot, as have numerous of my daughter's friends in the past.

Joy.

As for the skunk, I've spotted an ad for a used live trap for $15. My cousin told me to use tuna for the bait. I'll call on the trap in the morning.