Since my last post on April 26th, I have been living my life instead of reporting it. I have found in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada's
a lifestyle I can be happy with. I have always seemed to do things "bass-ackwards" and I have become somewhat of a hippie out here in California. What a surprise.. to Lucia and to me! But that's another story... and I have a better one to tell at this moment! In late spring a skunk kept showing itself late at night to raid the cats' food dishes outside and the compost pile. Lucia said that they had been aware that a skunk was living under the house, but it never bothered anyone so they ignored it. Danny would have something to say about that. That skunk sprayed Delicata, Lucia's curious little female cat, right outside my bedroom door one night. Danny coughed until dawn and my eyes were red for 24 hours... Delicata, however, definitely got the worst of it... poor kitty!! Anyway, the skunk wasn't especially afraid of us and, in fact, chased our friend, Jad, aggressively when he turned the garden hose on it. Well, "it" was a "she" and a little mama. Soon we were aware of three little offspring trailing after Mom on her midnight raids. We told Chris and Lewie about the expanding population and they set out to find a solution. Seems there are humane skunk traps that can be set out and once they are ensnared, you call the Humane Society and they come out to pick them up. We thought about that and decided we didn't want to separate Mom from her adorable newborns... plus, Delicata learned her lesson and there was no more spraying. We settled into a fairly comfortable coexistence and the babies grew. They really, really ARE precious to watch. Chris and Lewie came back from NY and laughed at our sentimentality, but seemed to agree. Meanwhile we stopped putting the cat food out at night. They were miffed to find empty dishes but continued to feast on compost.. until.... last night! Jad brought Lucia a treat of brownies in the middle of the night, just stopping by, putting them in the fridge,continuing on to his own home. (No one locks their doors here, day or night, ever.) But did Jad double check the front door to be sure he had pulled it to, securely?? No, oh no, he did not. Mama seeing the door open .. oh, yeah... yeah... yeah. At 4AM, my cell phone rang and it was Lucia, whispering and laughing. "Mom, the skunks ARE IN THE HOUSE!! They're having a party!""No way!! Did you see them?" "Yes! All four of them are in the kitchen!!" She turned on the light to see what was going on and they had gotten into the bag of catfood, ripped it apart, and were fighting over the contents. I didn't dare open my door, but the little darlin's were chattering like monkeys and running around chasing each other away from the food. That continued for a solid hour, with Lucia and I alternately giggling and praying. What a night! So what's happening now? It's 10PM and "Flower" is scratching at the front door, trying for a repeat performance! Are we calling the Humane Society tomorrow? Are you kidding? The "Humane" Society traps them, picks them up, and then euthanizes them!! Nobody's doing that to our little friends! Party on, kids.
