a skunk and a scone

Well, this Valentine's Day has proved eventful already. Let me tell you about our skunk saga this week...

Monday morning we woke up to the rancid smell of skunk. One had gotten under our house through a hole around the side. Apparently, skunks are running rampant in Hale Center. The skunk must have sprayed to get rid of the stray cats that live under our house that we feed daily. Yes, we feed 5 stray cats. I can't help it, they're so cute!!!

So, we called the city at the advice of a deacon in our church and they came to set up a skunk trap. Apparently, this is a normal occurence in Hale Center. We put an egg inside and set the trap. We waited for a few days.

Wednesday morning we woke up to a skunk in our trap. It was soooo cute! It was digging around until it curled up inside and slept most of the day. I have to insert here that I worked at a zoo in high school and we had a descented skunk in our petting zoo. It was SO cute and would curl up in my lap with its little feet wrapped around my arms. Ok, so I obviously have soft spot for the critters (aside from, of course, their aroma).

Wednesday afternoon, two city workers come around to take the skunk away. Only, the short one gets sprayed. They tried to cover it with a blanket to calm it down, but it was too windy. The short one said, "Well, we'll come back in an hour when the skunk is calmed down." Coming back in an hour means coming back to take it away right? WRONG!

An hour later on Wednesday afternoon, we look out the window and see the short city guy coming to our door with a rifle. That's right. You heard me. A rifle. Would anyone else be concerned about this? I was. I begged Robin to talk him out of shooting the skunk. He did. What a husband, eh girls? So the short guy leaves and says he'll come back tomorrow.

Thursday morning, as I am making chocolate chip scones for a Valentine's Day breakfast, the city employees come back. They try to cover the skunk cage with a blanket again, but the skunk sprays like 3 times. The city guys are getting annoyed, so they call a local cop to come and shoot it!!! Welcome to West Texas!!!!

Well, Robin knows how strongly I want the skunk to live (I was quite upset, which I know is a little dorky, but I can't help it), so he starts trying to talk the short guy out of it again. The cop rolls up, just as they try one last time to get the blanket on. It's a success!!! The cop is all annoyed and wants to shoot it anyway (how unfair for the little guy). But thankfully, the skunk is carted away to the city truck to be released outside of town, as they originally promised!!!

Ahhhhh... I am now breathing a sigh of relief for the skunk, lighting every candle we own to rid our house from the smell, and enjoying my chocolate chip scones topped with cream. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!!

a stripe with a smell

Robin and I are enjoying our research week so far. Our dear friend Crystal came and spent the weekend in Lubbock and we had a great time! It is so refreshing to see old friends. We also had one of our classmates from NY over for dinner Friday night and it was such an encouragement. We just love time of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Since then, we've been trying to stay busy with all of our homework. We have quite a bit of it this week -- a 10-page research paper, 2 books to read, a book report, a 13-outline lesson series, a take home test and memorizing Matthew 5!!! Haha. You have to admire Sunset for keeping us in the Word constantly!!

As for a more exciting event of this week, we woke up on Sunday morning to the pungent smell of skunk wafting through our bedroom!!! We think a skunk got in under our house somehow. We called the city hall and they said it was happening alot around here lately. They came and set up a trap in our yard. So far, no luck! Today, the smell subsided so maybe Mr. Skunk snuck away during the night. Gotta love west Texas!!!

Robin and I are hoping to get our work done as quickly as we can so that we can take a one night camping trek up at Palo Alto Canyon near Amarillo. We've been dying to check this canyon out -- it's the second biggest in the country and only an hour and a half away!

Well, I'm off to do some reading and memorizing. Hope you're all doing well. Have a great week!!!