DAY 204: RISKY BUSINESS
Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 11:38PM What does it say about one's week when the highlight involves...a skunk?
Well, that really was my highlight.
Some mystery interloper had been slipping into one of our gardens and making away with the corn. So my husband stategically placed and set two live traps about a week ago. He'd check every day, and each day more corn would be destroyed, yet nothing was in the trap.
On Thursday, I absentmindedly asked (strictly out of habit at that point) if he'd caught anything in the traps.
Well, he didn't answer. I then noticed that his face looked kind of like this:
He never looks like that!
I asked, "What is WRONG?!!!"
He said, "There's a D*MNED SKUNK in the trap!"
I certainly didn't expect that. And I got down on the floor laughing at his expression and the situation. I'll have to admit that I was totally all about the adventure I knew was about to ensue. Clear my dang calendar! There's a skunk in the trap! Whatarewegonnadonow?!!!
Stephen was already rolling around in his head what to do about this. We didn't have a lot of time because it was so hot, and every moment meant that little guy was out in the heat of the day in his little fur coat. Stephen had already envisioned sneaking up on the cage with a tarp of some sort and a big long stick to open the trap door. Good ideas, both.
His main concern, though, was how far a skunk could spray. I had no clue. I'd never even seen a skunk in person before. This was all new to me.
Forgoing my vast print archives, I opted for a quick internet search.
I learned that skunks generally spray about a foot further than whatever distance you get from them. *wopwopwah*
With that information, I figured we were in big trouble. But we had to free the little guy somehow, so we got busy.
Anyway...excuse the weeds but it's been too HOT to weed a garden! Here is Stephen, sneaking up on the cage in the cornfield with a plastic tarp. He successfully covered the cage, and then dragged it over into the shade of a tree in the orchard. So far, so good...
Next, he maneuvered an extension pole to release the trap door. If you look closely, you can see there is a little critter in that cage.
I didn't really get scared of being sprayed until about now. Reality set in. The skunk was coming out of the cage...and then he bolted! Well, not really "bolted"... it was more like a slow scamper, or maybe more like a "galumph". But he was headed my way! Yikes! The big thing for me was...I wanted to capture the moment, but had no idea which way the skunk would go or what he would do. I did NOT want to get "sprayed". 
Close ups. Note the leg/little foot action (cute!). Sorry these weren't better pics, but HEY - this was a real live skunk headed in my direction, and it was hard for me to just stand there and keep the camera steady.
Exit. Stage Left.
Our little friend galumphed off into the nearest "cover" he could find.
AND NO ONE GOT SPRAYED!!!
I was happy! The skunk was happy!
And Stephen is finished with live traps for now.
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