Well, I guess the weather is going to be changing again. On Monday it is supposed to be 50 degrees...lol! The people in the northeast are without electric due to a gynormous ice storm. I wonder if they would be getting the 50 degree upswing in temperature. Hey, Kev, are you done shoveling all that snow down there in N'awlins???
Since the weather up here is going to be getting warmer, Mike The Great, our carpenter, is going to work on framing up my back deck. Now I don't mind telling you that he has been our gift from God for sure. When he told me that the temperature was going to be working in our favor I was surprised (that it would be 50 degrees!!!!) but glad to hear that we can get that deck framed up. It was a nice surprise...a good Christmas gift, if you would.
The past few nights we have been made aware of the presence of a nocturnal nibbler near the back door. It turns out that the kitty under the house has not been getting the kibble after all. There has been a big skunk meandering out from under the blue cottage behind us. He or she, whatever the case may be, just casually saunters up to the back door. No flashlight fear appears evident...lol! I must admit that the other fella' and I think the critter is cute. At a distance, of course.
The nightime diner has the cutest little face with a little pointed nose. The markings are somewhat different though...not like Pepe Le Pew with his equidistant white stripes that parade down his back to the lush thickness of that ever-glorious tail. This critter has two wide white stripes with a black elongated diamond on his back. The fluffy tail is a large upper layer of white! The underside is black...and oh so fluffy! This little visitor is just GORGEOUS but mind you, I know that he/she is a real stinker underneath all that fur.
The other fella was the first to spot the kibble muncher. He was in the bathroom or loo (depending on your part of the world) having a smoke with the window open to keep me from suffocating. He was enjoying his favorite vice when he caught a glimpse of something coming out from under the blue place. He watched the tenderfoot approach while reaching for a flashlight. When he was done with his Native American tobacco-burning ceremony he gently closed the window. No need to set the little snacker off...lol!
He came back in the front room and asked me if I had put kibble out for the kitty? When I assured him that I had, he told me that the kitty was not eating it...well, I was surprised to say the least. He had a good laugh at my expense! Well, I had seen the black and white cat eating out of the dish. She is the cutest little thing and no, she is not a skunk. She came to me when I called her the other day.
So, being a doubting Thomas, I headed back to see the little culprit. Sure enough, the meal continued even as I focused the flashlight to get a closer look. I must admit that I wondered if the little thing must be hard of hearing because I was yelling, "Where is the flashlight???" Being told that it was in the bathroom was not helping me a bit since I could not put the light on. (He's been working on putting new lights in there, but that's another story.) Anyway, with all the racket I was surprised that he/she didn't hair up and let 'er go. I finally gave up watching it and returned to the front room grumbling about not feeding a friggin' skunk.
The other fella' was laughing at me. Mike the Great had a good laugh at me the next day when the other fella' and I told him that Miss Kitty under the House was missing out on her kibble. He and the other fella' were teasing me that the skunk will keep coming back for as long as a year once someone has put food out. Yup, they just keep coming back. Job's comforters they are, right?
Well, last night the little bugger paid another visit. The kibble that was missed or hidden under the snow was found again as he/she walked back and forth in front of the back door, and the bathroom window, and the office window. He/she was very thorough and he left the footprints to prove it.
As for Miss Kitty under the House, I have not seen her. Hope that she comes back though. I will be looking for her. No more food until she comes back in person.
Sign me, She who Fed the Skunk (and will never hear the end of it) in small town America, M
Here Kitty, Kitty!
