Skunk! Part II

At 11:30 p.m. last Sunday, as I was merrily walking Rangedogs through the brisk but not too chilly neighborhood, I was in pretty high spirits. The day back home had gone very well, with a groundbreaking interview in the morning and an enjoyable family dinner at night. All I had left to do was finish up a couple of articles, and I looked forward to getting a solid night's sleep. On top of all that, I was listening to the newly acquired fun. CD and it's borderline impossible to feel anything but happy while listening to them.

About 50 feet away from returning home, after Ranger had raised his stupid leg about 37 times, this fatty skunk or racoon type animal waddled across the street a little ways down the road. Ranger went ballistic, somehow ripping himself free of not his collar, but the metal carabiner that linked his leash and his collar. This newfound freedom allowed Range to frantically sprint around the neighborhood for about a minute, joyously seeking out his prey, while I tried in vain to get a hold of him.

Finally, Ranger stops by a car and barks a few times. A rotten stench wafts through the air. It was most definitely a skunk. Drained from his jubilant adventure, Rangedogs puts his head down and promptly trots back to our house.

I go home, proclaiming the bad news. We decide to wait for my brother to get home because he knows the concoction. Meanwhile, Ranger somehow got loose from the backyard, and is once again roaming the neighborhood.

By the time we finally find him, get the delightful mix of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water all over Ranger's pungent fur, shampoo and bathe him, it is 2:30. At this point I still have to deal with the slightly mind-boggling fact that my sister had gotten all my whites stained a pale green because she had inexplicably threw some of her own green clothes into my batch of whites (that was already done) and re-started the wash. I also still had to finish my articles, and drive back to Irvine early the next morning.

God has an interesting way of reminding us about things. Patience, unconditional love, not being too comfortable to the point of stagnancy, humbleness...