So long Mr. Skunk!

We are finally skunk free around these parts! Well, at least we hope we are. As previously mentioned, one not-so-lucky skunk found its way into the trap we had in the backyard. No small feat considering we didn't even have any bait in it. But the guy down at Del's Feed store told us that they are very curious creatures and will explore and inspect anything new in its surroundings. Sure enough, this fellow did.

I didn't know what to do with the darned thing. Mike was gone to Port Orchard with the boys. I had been up all day the day before and all night working. So I just went to bed and decided to think about it. Oh, I should mention that I did call King County Animal Control. They didn't answer the phone (of course not, it was Saturday). So I visited their website and they were very specific about the fact that they only deal with domesticated animals. The page said to contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife. And of course they too were closed on the weekend.

I felt so bad... It rained all day on Sunday and the poor skunk was out in the rain. I refused to go near it for obvious reasons. By Monday morning, I was feeling REALLY bad. The poor thing had been there for two days with nothing to eat. So I threw it a handful of sunflower seeds. That afternoon, we were able to get the names and numbers of a couple of people who will come and pick up the creatures. One company offered to come that evening. I knew the guy meant business when he suited up and got on a gas mask!! We kept the kids indoors and tried to keep them quiet so the guy could sneak up on the skunk as easily as possible. He put a piece of plastic over the cage first to avoid getting sprayed directly. Then he picked up the whole trap and put it in a large garbage bag and then carried it out to the back of his truck where he got out of the suit and mask. Somewhere between the backyard and the front, it did spray. The smell was terribly overpowering and I could feel my throat burning. We left to do some shopping and when we got back, we realized that our house smelled terrible and we opened all the doors and windows and turned on the fans to air the place out. YUCK!

But I'm happy to say that the skunk is gone and I pray that others do not return. Hopefully, if any came by over the weekend, they spied their comrade stuck in the trap and it served as a warning to stay away. It cost us $45 for the trap and $45 for the pickup... and it was worth every penny! Here are some humorous pictures. They were of course all taken from inside and through the glass. As Mike would say, "I'm dumb. I'm not stupid."