Daily Archives: November 1, 2013

Skunked

Skunked, watercolor by Kerry McFall

Skunked, watercolor by Kerry McFall

My generation grew up very familiar with the iconic Davy Crockett from Tennessee and Dan’l Boone from Kentucky wearing coonskin caps.  Or was that skunk?  And remember Pepe le Pew, the lovelorn skunk whose amour was never returned by the lovely little black and white pussycat?  Eau de skunk was always the family joke as we quickly rolled up our car windows past dead skunks on the highway.  But this week, it isn’t funny.  Our Tennessee adventure hit a major snag a couple of nights ago, when Tay, the resident black lab, had the misfortune to run into a skunk.  Literally.

The nerve of a skunk invading this posh North Knoxville community!  Tay immediately made a beeline for the back door, which I think must have been almost ground zero.  I smelled it from the kitchen, panicked, and like an idiot ran and opened the door- WHAT was I thinking?!   Damage was done, and before you could say “Bob’s your uncle,” poor Tay was slobbering and rubbing her head all over the back of the couch…. ewwww.  It has taken several days, many baths, and a lot of baking soda and tomato juice and febreze spray, to get the household back into some semblance of livability.  Tay still has skunk breath.  Double ewww…  and I certainly have new respect for skunks.  What an incredibly effective defense mechanism.