Countdown: 12 Days

This last Saturday, I went kayaking with my friends, Cassandra, Darren, and Dani. We participated in the Benderdinker, a local annual event that starts at Riverside Park, travels upstream on "Betty's Branch" (the little blue line) until it reaches the Savannah River (where the blue dot is), travels downstream on the Savannah to where Betty's Branch comes in (down by Fury's Ferry Rd), then back up the Branch to the park.

There were probably 400 boats registered and I have no idea how many that just showed up and put in the water.

It was raining when we headed out in the morning but had cleared up and was beautiful and sunny by the time we finished the paddle.

I used sunscreen everywhere but on my ankles, and off course burned them. *facepalm*

On Monday of LAST week, Stinkerbell got out through the back door (the dogs had pushed it open) and disappeared for an entire week. I created the above info graphic and it was shared on Facebook over 220 times!

This last Monday evening I was just sitting down to a lovely farewell dinner at Edgar's Grill with the ladies from my Local Helping Local group. I happened to check my email on my phone and saw that I had a message from someone that had FOUND my skunk! She gave me her number and I jumped right up from the table and ran outside to call her.

She confirmed that she had Stinkerbell, and told me she lives just a few houses down. I told her I would call my HusBean and send him to fetch her right away.

The story, according to the gal that found her (posted as a comment on Stinkerbell's Facebook page):

"I am SO glad you're home with your mom, Stink! When I saw you yesterday trying to curl up in my shrubbery, I thought you just needed a moment to rest... but when the thunderstorm hit last night and you were wandering around my front yard looking upset and unsure, I just had to give you some shelter, wild or not!

I hope the blanket under my car was warm enough in the garage for you, and I'm glad you ate some of the food I brought... I've never fed a skunk before, and I had to do a bit of googling and rummaging through my fridge.

Thank you for proving that my friend Rusty Banks can and does scream like a little girl when charged by a cute little skunk while initially helping me to usher you out of my garage (before I knew you were lost!) -- and again for being kind enough to not bite him or scratch him when he caught you back up to get out of the mud until your Dad came by to pick you up.

I'm just thankful my neighbor saw your posting! Otherwise I would've tried to get you back out into the wild! Again -- I am so glad you're home and safe, and I hope to hear about you eating well and gaining some of that weight back. I hope you had a good adventure, but for your mom's sake AND her heart.... stay home!!"

 We got her home and started feeding her (she was quite skinny) and snuggled her up in a blanket. The next day she had a bath, which she was not particularly impressed with!

Stink has been eating all her meals, and feeling frisky enough to chase The Chou (cat) and Bento (dog).

I'm giving her a high-calorie supplement with her meals, hoping it will fatten her back up a bit.

We are in full-blown pack mode now, I've started sorting through all of my clothes and packing them in long-term storage vs. keep at Mom's.  HusBean has sorted through most of his clean clothes, we still have to tackle the rest as they come out of the dryer.

I'm scheduled to pick up the moving truck on Friday morning, the 10th. Two of my girlfriends have volunteered to help that morning, they are both very hard workers and I am grateful for their assistance!

HusBean is off today and tomorrow, working Saturday, off Sunday, then scheduled to work 3-11p Mon-Fri next week. I'm hoping he'll take Friday the 10th as a vacation day.

Today is all about packing and laundry, hoping to sneak in a dog walk.

More About Skunks

My youngest "child" turned a year old while Scott and I were across the country getting married. For those who have never heard or read the story of how I acquired a pet skunk, pay attention.

Skunks are born in the spring. The majority of pet skunks in the United States are born and bred at Ruby's Fur Farm in Iowa. The baby skunks are descented early and then travel to pet stores around the country.

The pet store I manage brought in 7 baby skunks last spring. There was one apricot, one chocolate and 5 black and white. In Florida, a Class III Wildlife license is required to own a skunk (considered an "exotic") and the store requires proof of this license before the customer is allowed to purchase their skunk and take it home.

Two of the skunks went home very quickly, as their new parent had anticipated their arrival and gotten the license process started ahead of time. The next skunk went soon after and that left four girls. Three black and white and the chocolate.

As soon as the skunks arrived all the store staff spent a lot of time with the babies, trying to get them used to being handled and socialized. Once there were only four left, we spent additional time with them and soon three of the remaining four found loving homes.

The final baby was the smallest of all. Jen named her "Squirt". I wanted to ensure that whoever adopted her would have a loving pet so I started carrying her around with me every afternoon while I did my various duties. I let her sleep in my lap when using the computer, and had her in a small bed on the counter when running the register.

After a few weeks of this Jen (my boss) told me that she thought a friend of hers was going to get the skunk. I was happy for the skunk but a little sad because we'd started to bond a bit.

For my birthday Jen and her husband Mike wanted to take Scott and I to dinner. We planned for them to pick us up after Jen closed the store (since I had the day off) and they arrived with a beautiful carrot cake and a big gift bag.

I opened the bag and inside was a cardboard box. I opened the box and there she was! I was shocked and thrilled and terrified all at the same time - I knew Scott was going to FREAK OUT.

When I opened the box Scott had his back to me cutting the cake. He turned around and saw me holding the skunk, then turned right back to the counter and said "How nice of you!" He didn't know what else to say!

At first Scott was sure that Jen and I had planned this, but I assured him I had nothing to do with it and hadn't even considered getting a skunk, so I understood if he said "no." But I also encouraged him to come to the store and visit her (she had to live at the store until I could get my Class III License) and get to know her a little bit.

A couple of days after my birthday Scott came by on his way home from work and agreed to hold her. She snuggled over his shoulder into his neck and he was instantly in love. We did a trial run with the dog and cats and then as soon as the license arrived we moved her into a cage in the corner of the living room and changed her name to Stinkerbell (aka The Stink, Stinkbug, StinkerPie and Skunky).

Now she is very much a part of the family. We have had to baby proof the house to some extent, when we go to bed we put up gates across the kitchen doorway and the doorway to the bedrooms and put the dog's food bowl up on a chair.

The evening is not complete until The Stink has waddled over to the couch, put her paws up and we bring her up for a snuggle. As I am typing this she is laying on my stomach with her head tucked into my elbow.