The Pee Yew Patrol
Sometimes, things just stink.
It had been one of those days when nothing seemed to quite come together as I wanted. Surely, you’ve had those too.
Something like …
* An important receipt is missing.
* The checkbook won’t balance.
* You can’t find a key sheet of instructions.
* You have a question, but the person who has the answer isn’t available.
* You forgot something.
Any or all of these — as well as hundreds to thousands more — can add a little stress to your life. In my case, it was several things.
But nearing the end of the work day, I tried to tell myself that it would all be better after a little relaxation at home, followed by a good night’s sleep.
Things were going better. So much so, that after dinner, I did a little reading; called to check on my mom, who hadn’t been feeling well; then turned the TV to the Thunder game and settled in for what I hoped would be an enjoyable finish to the evening.
After a Thunder victory, I got ready for bed. Several position adjustments later, I either found a comfortable one, or I was just too tired to keep up the battle. I finally dozed off.
It was about three hours later that I woke up to the smell of a skunk that was so strong, I could have sworn it was in the house. I knew I hadn’t left any doors or windows open and our house is on a concrete foundation, so there was no opening I could think of where a striped stinker could have gotten in. But the odor was almost sickening.
I did check each room to make sure we didn’t have a “visitor.” No sign of entry — or animal.
It was not the best of sleeping nights, for sure. Even ceiling fans, air spray, or other air fresheners could only slightly lessen the smell. The next morning, the smell was still there, just not quite as strong. But when I left for work, the heaviest odor was in the garage. Luckily, a search found no sign of a skunk. Just the residue.
We’ve had wildlife visitors to our neighborhood before, including in our yard and along our fence. It’s common to see a squirrel, a possum, a rabbit, or domestic animals such as cats and dogs. Only once, however, had I ever SEEN a skunk in our yard. Mostly, it had just been the smell.
I think I may have figured out what occurred, however. We must have had visitors.
We have a family of rabbits that have taken up residence near our storage shed. So isn’t it possible other animals could have checked out the area?
It also could be our friendly neighborhood.
There is a nearby resident who is kind to animals, no matter the variety, particularly putting out food for them.
Her husband told me they had had a problem before when she put out some food for birds. He happened to look out the back window later and saw a full PYP (Pee Yew Patrol) dining on his patio — six skunks, with tails raised.
They, like some other animals who come for feeding, leave unwanted “tips” behind. In this case, a less-than-appreciated fragrance.
After this recent stinky night, it took two days for the smell to leave entirely. I tried to wash everything I could find that might carry the odor, from clothing to windows, counter tops, etc.
It just took time … out of the house.
Learn more about relaxing by going to knowit.newsok.com/mental-health-oklahoma, more about outdoors and wildlife from Ed Godfrey’s blog on knowit.newsok.com/recreation-oklahoma and about pets in knowit.newsok.com/pets-oklahoma.
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