As I was sitting in the kitchen last night, a specifically summer scent wafted in through the windows. There are lots of summer scents - freshly mown grass, barbecues firing up, the fresh smell of the air after a thunderstorm. This one was a little different. It was the pungent odor of peeved skunk. I don’t find the odor particularly repulsive and it was evocative of past encounters with the aromatic little critters.
While the apartment isn’t exactly in the city it’s a long ways from being in the country. Yet, we have always seemed to have a substantial skunk population in this area. Who knew skunks could (or would) go urban?
In the house I grew up in, the washing machine was in the basement. You know how basement windows are - up at the top of the wall and just big enough to let in a little light. One afternoon, my mother called me down to see something. I hurried down the stairs wondering what was up because she seemed excited - and there just isn’t much to get excited about in a basement full of half-empty paint cans, old tools and one stalwart washing machine. As I walked over towards her, she pointed up at the window over the washer. There, snuggled up against the glass and fast asleep was a baby skunk, nose tucked into chest, about five inches long and cute as could be.
It turned out that he was one of four babies that were living in the field out behind the yard. They would show up in the early morning and my mother (much to the consternation of our neighbors) would feed them whatever she happened to have on hand - corn left over from last night’s supper, half a doughnut - they seemed to eat and to like just about everything.
They were absolutely adorable with their little wedge-shaped faces and their tiny, bright eyes. Skunks are built wide and low to the ground; quick movement is not their forte. These four ambled around looking like they were trundling along on little square wheels. They visited us for about a week and then were gone - presumably pursuing other, more interesting skunky activities.
Then, a couple of years ago as I was leaving to go to work, I was frozen in place on the stairs by the presence of two very adult skunks right up against the house in front of the porch. They were clearly involved with one another but I couldn’t say whether they were playing, fighting or mating. I slowly backed up into the porch, closed the door, and stood watching them. They were really rather attractive in their rich black and snow white coats. One would pounce and the other would roll around. Then the other would pounce and the game went on in this fashion. It took them about twenty minutes to work their way from the porch, across the parking lot and out to an area where I wouldn’t endanger them by trying to back the car out (nor endanger myself). They did seem to be enjoying themselves with their little stiff-legged little jumps and their sotto voce squeaks.
Of course I was late and of course my boss was annoyed, demanding to know why I hadn’t called animal control. I was dumbfounded - it never occurred to me. They were not endangering me or anyone else and it was (it had seemed to me) simply a matter of waiting them out. Different perspectives, I suppose.
Finally finished - and they fit!
I completed the second mitten last night and am very pleased with the pair. I have made lots of mittens, but these are the first I’ve made for myself. I had to adjust the thumb - both the style and the length and I had to lengthen the space between the ribbing and the gusset a little but everything worked out perfectly :)
That left me with about two and a half balls of the Waterspun, so I immediately cast on for this:
Multidirectional Short-Row Scarf
I thought this might be just the pattern to take advantage of the lovely variegated colors of this yarn. I didn’t get very far with it last night, but I think it’s going to be pretty spiffy :)
Happy Wednesday all - hope your mid-week is peaceful and (if you want it to be) productive :)
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The “summer signal” TMK and I wait for is the first “summer airplane”—that first airplane that flies high in the sky, and makes that particular “far away” drone, after the cloudy, rainy days of winter. You can’t miss “the first summer airplane!”
Very cute story, Robbyn. Even though I live smack in the middle of suburbia, about a mile away from my house, at a pond in a park, lives a family of 9 beavers!
‘eau de skunk’ is a very familiar scent around here (we live at the ‘end of nowhere’ aka ‘back of the beyond’) - right now we have a mama skunk and her two kits who dine nightly from the bowls of food we leave outside for the woodsy critters who pay us visits- they are the most cunning little things although occasionally standing downwind from them can be interesting!
i like your glove, hat, scarf combo- we need those approximately 2 days out of the year but i always see tham being made and admire them- i wonder if the husband would be interested in a nice trip north so i could use some??? oh, who am i kidding??
stay happy-
The mittens look great, and I’m sure the scarf will come out beautifully. A couple of weeks ago at Monday night S&B, we saw a skunk lurking around just outside the windows of the cafe. Luckily none of us had any intimate encounters with it on the way home!
I love that yarn you are using. Your mittens are lovely. I have been lurking for awhile. Really enjoy reading your blog.
Ryan - Beavers! Awesome! I only ever saw a beaver once and that was from a distance. I was driving and he was crossing the road about 100 feet down. Myria was able to spot him as we passed. She said he was sitting there by the side, watching the traffic go by :)
barb - Oh how cool! I’m so pleased to know somebody else out there feeds everybody - including the skunks. The babies really are cute but, then all babies are cute :)
Don’t fret about the hat-mitten-scarf thing. You wouldn’t enjoy what makes them necessary :)
Caren - Thanks :) RIght in front of the store, eh? I guess the little beggars have gone urban at that :) Do you suppose they drink latte too?
Maureen - Thanks for the compliments. I’m glad you enjoy the blog!
Robbyn,
I LOVE those mittens. I need to finish the second mitten in a fairisle pattern, and then I think I’ll try some in a variegated yarn. They look great, and life in central PA demands a whole wardrobe of mittens.
Rob
Rob - The yarn did work nicely, I think. I love variegated yarn, but have a hard time finding projects that will show it off well. I think the mittens worked nicely :)
