So, husband had stepped out to the back porch to stand on the part that doesn't have snow on it and just feel some sunlight on his face. I stepped out to be with him. And then we saw this.
Yes, there is actual sad old grass showing up as the snow is melting!! Oh wait... do you see it?
Hang on a moment, here's a different location.
Yes, it's my compost pile in the corner of my vegetable garden. And yes, that's our old very dead Christmas tree parked behind it. It will get incinerated fairly soon. AND... climbing around in my compost pile is... the official skunk of Spring!
Man, it had a great time clawing and poking its way through my semi-frozen compost. It stayed quite a while. In fact, it could very well still be there because I stopped watching to go write this post.
This is an 'oh dear' moment. Oh dear, I hope our idiot cat (who looks a little like a skunk himself) doesn't decide to befriend it. Oh dear, where is it making its little bed at night, under our porch, under the old chicken coop, under the shed? Oh dear, we're going to have to build a front wall to the compost container. And finally, oh dear, does it know how to use a cat door?
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They aren't all this charming.
I has possums and raccoons through the cat door, but never a skunk. It was 15 steps up the deck to the cat door, and I wonder if skunks ever lift their noses from the ground. I think the possum may have fallen from the trees, too. We finally had to close the door from the raccoons.
ReplyDeleteSo far we've only had other cats. I definitely wouldn't want raccoons or possums either.
ReplyDeleteHubby and I were out just this morning trying to figure out just what kind of skirting we should put around our deck so that a skunk doesn't decide to take up residence under there! We haven't been bothered by one of the stinky things for several years, but we want to keep it that way!
ReplyDeleteWhen stranger cats came in your cat door, did they make themselves at home?
A couple of times they came into the house and my husband came upon them when he was up getting a middle of the night snack. They ran!
Deletenot the visitor you need!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you have a little greenery appearing.
We've had three good days with warmer winds..even went without a coat or hat today!!
Yay for warmer winds!
DeleteYes, it was really Spring-like today. I had my jacket off at one point! I had a skunk under my pool deck one year. Every night he would dig down under the deck and throw up a ton of earth, and every morning I would fill in the hole. We kept that up for months until he finally departed.
ReplyDeleteWe've had them before. They like to look for grubs and dig up our "lawn", but they never came in the day time. You'd only know they had been there at night.
DeleteI guess some guests stink right off the batt. Good luck with that.
ReplyDeleteHa! We'll see how it goes. I imagine its just hungry after a long hibernation. Let's hope it moves on, and doesn't raise a family here.
DeleteThere are no skunks in Australia and thus their pong is a mystery, but Pepé le Pew is known to all of us of a Certain Age. Imagine our surprise when Mr P and I were out driving one day when we were in California and this incredible smell suddenly wafted through the air vents. We both turned to one another and cried, "Skunk!" It must have been roadkill and while we don't think we'd run over it, we got close enough for the sticky odour to linger in the car for days. It must be some primal olfactory recognition at play! Goodness, I hope your Pepé doesn't take up residence.
ReplyDeleteFunny! I did not know there are no skunks in Australia. Oh well, there are no kangaroos here. I guess it all evens out.
DeleteJenn it is a sure sign of spring when the skunks wake up & wander about, so cute but so destructive. Your visitor is a big one! Easterly Neighbours had one living under their deck but it would walk through our yard to the field & spray almost every night because the Westerly neighbour's dogs would go charging madly to the fence ... a cycle I was glad ended only when the skunk moved on. Is MNR dropping rabies pellets in your area for the wildlife? ... Mary-Lou =^..^=
ReplyDeleteGood question - I know they used to and that it made a big impact on rabies, but I'm not sure if it is still being done. Both of our cats have had their shots.
Deletewe have a skunk in residence up near the barn - we've been smelling it.. but haven't seen it yet. I hope we don't SURPRISE it in any way....
ReplyDeleteWe had a sunny day yesterday - still chilly in the 50's but SUN anyway... and the same to come for the next week or so. At least there's that!
Just popped over to your blog, and yes, you are definitely sunny and springy!
DeleteWoo hoo! We are showing spring too, but I think you are farther north and it's probably far more welcome! (Although, there's debate about that!) In either case, isn't it fun to see grass again?
ReplyDeleteAh, the skunk. My skunk story... we used to have a Jack Russell terrier named, creatively, Jack. We were at the lake and my aunt lived two doors down and had recently sold and vacated the house for the new residents. They were moving in the very next day after Jack (who loved to run) broke loose from his chain and chased a skunk -- into the hole under my aunt's former house. I think the skunk won because Jack came home with a "busted" odor. I'm not sure my parents ever told the new neighbors who really was the culprit for their new home being stinky. I'm not sure I would have. (They must have used gallons of tomato juice and margarita mix to get that dog relatively un-smelly!)
Ha, Jeanie! I can relate to creatively named pets, we had a cat named Kitty. Funny story - what a way to move into a new house.
DeleteOh, the cat door! I forgot you had one. I hope it doesn't find its way there. My guess is that it's too frightened to get that close to humans.
ReplyDeleteThis skunk was on such a mission yesterday that it didn't even care we were on the porch, talking and looking at it (it wasn't all that far away from us).
DeleteOh yikes! Skunks are kind of cute from afar, but that's where they need to stay, imo! :) Last spring I went into the chicken pen and absentmindedly reached down to get an "egg" from under a chicken, and at the last second realized it wasn't a chicken at all, but a SKUNK that was apparently helping itself to some eggs for breakfast. We both RAN, and were unharmed (and unsprayed!!)
ReplyDeleteI have a compost pile like yours, made out of pallets, but it's falling over. Now that I see your braces across the corners, guess what I'll be doing as soon as I have time! Thanks for the unknowing tip!
That composter was a project I gave to the "kids" a couple of Thanksgivings ago. I had those three pallets kicking around for a while. I wish I had thought of making a front panel that could be easily taken on and off because I see it from my kitchen window and it looks kind of ugly seeing all of my egg shells and dried up clementines.
DeleteYour chicken story!! I'm so glad you didn't get sprayed. -Jenn
Oh no Mr. Skunk! He probably loves your composite for sure. I hope you can get rid of him.
ReplyDeleteI heard they do not like the smell of alcohol rags. My daughter had them under her porch and soak rags in alcohol and stuffed them in the whole at night when she knew they were out of the nest. It did the trick. Have a great new week.
xoox
Kris
Praise the Lord, our snow has finally melted! If there's a skunk within 5 miles, my dogs will find it. Have a wonderful week, Jenn.
ReplyDeleteWe get skunks in the backyard too... but not very often. I don't think they would be any trouble unless you surprised them... or they surprised you. I too hope he/she doesn't find your cat door.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear, is right! I am always nervous in the late spring, early summer when it finally warms up (still waiting) when I let the dogs out in the yard. I think Lovey has enough sense to steer clear of a skunk, but I wouldn't bet money on Peanut!
ReplyDeleteI see snow !!....no spring ?.....here in Holland we have Great weather....love it...hope the snow melt soon....love Ria x ❤️
ReplyDeleteOh, no. They are tough to get rid of, skunks. I had one under a porch once!
ReplyDeleteMind you, Hooper cat just ripped the screen. I'm thinking the skunks might be better behaved!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Oh no!!! You do know it's spring when you start seeing the skunks dead on the roads, that's for sure. Thankfully I have never seen one at my house....yet....nor have I seen a porcupine....yet. I dread both of those coming around with my pups outside so often!
ReplyDeleteLOL I love Pepe Le Pew...but despite his charm, he's a real stinker lol! I hope your skunk finds a new abode. One of our dogs Marlene, was sprayed just a few weeks before we adopted her and boy...it took about 5 months for the smell to finally go away, despite lots of de-skunkers and bathing! Aren't you happy about spring???? I'm DELIGHTED!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHave seen only one skunk in 6 years on this property. Second oldest grandgirl were taking a late evening walk in the back 21 and there he/she was waddling and sniffing. That was a few years back. Since then I have had the not a pleasure of smelling skunk as the odor diffed from skunk and victim to wherever I was at the time. And awhile ago had the misfortune of going up the mountain to the vet's office arriving very shortly after someone crunched one on the highway. Boy oh boy did my eyes ever sting and water. Good luck!
ReplyDelete