I think we need to change your screen name from Oh' Mike to Oh' No....or maybe Oh' Crap.....better yet..Oh' Sh!t
I say we lift a pint to Oh'Stinky!
Now then two
short stories, I promise.
Tippy was rather the best family/community dog and that of the entire neighborhood once. Big, furry, Irish setter. Tippy aged and spent more and more days in the garage rather than playing with kids. One day, a skunk---rare to come so close to humanity---ended up in his garage. The battle was brutal. Someone heard it from inside. Tippy raced with dead skunk in mouth and rolled all over WTW carpeting. I vowed then, never to have it near. WTW carpeting Skippy branded.
I was the only person within miles that knew about animals living near? Minnesota to Califorania transplant. Save for my vet and all. Calm down. Tippy will be fine. Make a hat out of the skunk pelt. It is what I have done with all animals that produce pelts so far. I admit I did raise housecats just for the fur.
The neighborhood rallied and bathed Tippy in tomatoe juice to make him smell less like a skunk. This happened when he insisted on rolling on their WTW carpeting.
Don't any of you try to pipe in here if you have never smelled a real one. Tippy smelled like a skunk for as long as it took for that smell you will never forget to go away. And it will. And Oh'Stinky you will never forget a spraying ass coming at you again will ya!?
There is good news. No other skunk ever entered Tippy's garage and he did, eventually, die. Smelling like a dead Irish Setter.
My second skunk story is rather touching on a couple levels. A Japanese American naturalist, whose family had lived in this country longer than either side of mine, was prison camped in Northern California and her work toward a PhD in Animal Behavior halted. She and her husband ran rescue habitats though and I will never forget a parade of skunks.
The female had stripped all the fur off the male tail, knowingly like it happens to us all? What was truly bizarre was this big, lanky, infant raccoon marched too. It was already twice the size of the infant skunks. It had been adopted. Skunks are one of few species that will take in others in need.
Natural philanthropy I guess. How you all doing in this regard so far this Christmas season? You did find a way, even after beating the living crap out of each other for WalMart deals to pay for at least one stuffed toy for a kid? Really, if you have ten or even $20 leftover, a simple toy left for the Toys-for-Tots might provide the only toy a child might get this year.
It is no secret I lived on airplanes. American Airlines most I suppose. Because they did always get me somewhere---next. I gave my bonus miles on American to their magical miles for charity program. I figured I would feel and smell like a skunk if claiming trips my employer paid for and I could, back in the day, pay for myself. Some little girl with cancer got to visit something special? Hope so. I suppose even bonus mile programs could be corrupted and smell funny.
Oh'Stinky. Sorry you got nailed.
--:laughing: Yuck--
