wednesday wobble

I've been meaning to do a thorough cleaning in my bathroom. You know, the mirror that extends the full length of the vanity, the countertop, sink, the tub and shower walls, floor, toilet, cobwebs, heck, maybe even clean the windows! I've already bleached the shower curtain and tub mat. But now I have no choice because The Skunk Strikes Again!

This time Rigel took the hit. This happened after I went to bed last night, and since Rigel went to bed without a bath, let's just say the house does not offer a welcoming fragrance this morning. At least it's better than Ken's office, which took the brunt of the effects of Rigel's overnight confinement. As I write we're preparing to load the dog into the tub and do our best to de-skunify him. Then it's cleanup time! I think it's time to call animal control and see if they can't root out the skunk den and improve our odds at domestic bliss.

Other activity this week includes preparing for a big church yard sale this weekend. We're having families take care of their own tables and sales, with either proceeds or portions of proceeds going to the church. We're also including a bake sale, and Gail, I'm making your biscotti! Note to self: beware when Ken volunteers for something, because much of what is involved in whatever he takes on translates as delegating a whole lot of tasks to me, especially if they involve the computer. So much for the ministry of the laity! Often I don't mind, but it is starting to feel as though this yard sale is the work of a few when we tried, diligently, to set it up to share the load. Ah well. Que sera, sera. But get this! The forecast for Saturday, here in middle Tennessee in the middle of July is a high of 78! I'm still pinching myself. No precipitation in sight, and with any luck, we'll have a breeze. There ARE days when I can say unequivocally that life is good. And I do believe that the day will come when I can echo Junior's phrase that I'm "livin' the dream!"

This morning I had intended to go over to the church early to weed the garden. It's visibility is somewhat front and center in terms of the yard sale set up. Alas, de-skunking has derailed that plan, so I will postpone the weed effort until tomorrow. No biggie.

Juliet got her walk this morning and she was a very good girl. Before long I'll head to church for bible study, then lunch, then a doctor appointment this afternoon (just maintenance). And now, breakfast and a shower. Hope your day is off to a stellar start.

eau de skunk

What's worse than the smell of skunk? The smell of skunk on a wet dog!

That was last week's adventure: a thunderstorm during which we discovered that Juliet had left the yard (she's been doing this of late, far too much) and been sprayed by a skunk. That was fun at 10:00 PM! Off to the store to get tomato juice and give her a bath, which sort of helped.

A call to our groomer/dog boarder alerted us to the ineffectiveness of tomato juice (it did help diminish the potency of the smell), and she put us on to what she uses: vanilla and baking soda. Seriously? I can handle that. And better yet, I think Juliet can handle that! And be sure to clean inside the ears, she told me. So off I went to stock up on vanilla (thank goodness for Dollar General) and refresh my supply of baking soda.

I tried to tell Juliet that she was having a day at the spa, but at home. She played nice long enough for me to get some vanilla worked in to portions of her face and then she bolted. Sigh. This was not going to be as simple as I thought.

In the meantime I got some further deskunking advice from a friend at church whose dogs have regular encounters with skunks. He affirmed the vanilla and baking soda, but added "Dawn" to the mix. I wasn't keen on the idea of Dawn on the dog, but what about shampoo!

Then Rigel started smelling like skunk, though fortunately not in the "oh god, keep your distance" kind of pungency. There is a lingering odor out in the yard around the vegetable garden, and McKinlee has wanted to sniff under the shed. "No! Danger Will Robinson!" INside the shed Ken says it smells like a dead animal, which would explain the buzzard I saw yesterday keeping an eye on our domain.

Several days into all of this I have learned the following:
It's not easy to coax a 50-60 pound dog into the bathtub.
It's even harder if you try to do this by yourself.
It's harder still to keep her there once you introduce smells that are unfamiliar to her.
Dogs don't like the sound of spray bottles.
The sour smell diminishes over time, leaving an odor resembling something akin to coffee beans.
Procrastination and denial are powerful allies when it comes to facing a challenging task.
After a while you don't smell the skunk spray on the dog unless you stick your nose up against their skin.

I know this must be done. Maybe today is the day. I covet your prayers for fortitude. I will gird my loins.