Well, those nasty storms rolled through here last night and we "thought" we were prepared. We sat here all warm and cuddlie..DH snoozing through the thunder, lightening and wind while I sewed and kept an eye on Patches. Then....the dreaded phone call..." My DH took an alternate route to the store and right now he is using his chain saw to cut a tree off your fence while your cows are trying to get out"...YUCK!!! So we rush out....to find...that in addtion to the tree...a fairly large part of our barn roof is now laying in the pasture behind the barn. We drive past the HUGE old beautiful Oak tree that is now flattening our pasture fence and we decide to just call the cows up and lock them in the barn due to the mess and it is still pouring rain, lightening and thundering.

We pull into the lot and I start jogging to the back of the barn and come to a screeching halt!!! Running full tilt right at me is Mama SKUNK and her 4 or 5 babies!! They are scared and agitated. Mama won't be intimadated and she runs straight for a stall...she loses the babies who are now wildly running in circles in front of me and I'm now screaming for DH. I can get the cows to come in, but I need a gate/panel to block the opening once I get them into the barn, and of course the skunks are between me and the panel.....DH kicks dirt in their faces to distract them..(they are about the size of 6-7 week old kittens and certainly old enough to spray) Finally...I have the cows up and have tied the panel in place...we've done all we can for the time being. Off we go to the house.... where I notice that the wind has blown my all my corn in the garden over :(

Once we get in the house, I sit back down at the machine, thanking all the powers that we still have electricity, then...blink, blink...we don't. It came back on finally right before noon today.

So now...its off to deal with all the "aftermath"....Like I tell DH....it could have been MUCH worse, so I'm really thankful! For now, the corn has been stood back up, we've put fence wire all around the tree so we can let the cows back out while we try to find someone who has a BIG chain saw...and we'll call the insurance company for the roof...so...just another day on the farm...! :wink: Oh...and I'm really thankful that we didn't get to know those skunks any better! :wink:

Ah, the good life!!!
Wish I could help you, know how much fun you are having. Loved the skunk, part, You take care of those cows now! :lol: :lol: :lol:

:oops: The Mama Skunk sure wasn't doing her job....run for cover and let the babies fend for themselves..........Glad she didn't get you or anyone else............Don't you just love Mother Nature when she gets P.O.'d about something???

Oh Patti, how I can relate to this!!! Just gotta love it or go crazy with frustration!!!

Patti

Hope you & DH get yourselves straightened out soon - take extra care incase the Skunk Lady decides to give you a return visit. :wink:

Tisha

OOOOOOH!!!!! I know I shouldn't Sandpat but the skunks just got to me. :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol: I could just picture it in my brain. :lol: :lol: I have had horses get out after we got the tail end of a hurricane Where I lived in Florida. They were taken to a large pasture where they had shelter and a lot of room. A limb fell on fence after the storm was over or maybe during we will never know. But my Quarter horse Dixie, BOSS Mare took the 3 of them back home. They were in our back yard when we got back home. All 3 loved being loose it took a lot of baby talk feed and trying to fool them. But never had the skunk thing. That is so Funny. LMAOROF
BillsBonBon

Sometimes I really miss farm life, but then something like this comes up to remind me just how much hard work it is. Thank you for feeding me.

Oh Patti, I have this great visual of you in the middle of all those skunks! I guess you better keep a few (hundred) gallons of tomato juice in the cupboard! ROTFL

Here's a pix of Patti's Cat! ROTFLMAO

Did momma cat actually adopt these little guys? What a phenomenal picture!

Holy cow!! What a night!! :?

Gai...I actually laughed out loud! These are cute, but not quite mine...these little babies didn't have such a pronounced stripe...they had a big white dot on top of their heads...then a narrow stripe, than a bigger dot at the base of their tails. Its funny...I didn't know that the litter mates looked all exactly alike, but they did!!

Yup all....you have to laugh or else its coo-coo, coo-coo!

Sorry to hear about all the trouble, but glad you are safe and not all smelly! You just never know what kind of critters you will find outside! :?

Wow, sounds like an exciting night, hope all will be well soon. Milk cows or beef?

:D Black Angus

I am so glad that the tree hit the fence and not your DH!!! I am so sorry for all of the damage the storm caused...glad to hear you and your animals are all safe and sound!!!
I had to chuckle over the skunk part too :lol: Have been in close contact with a few, never sprayed, and never in a stressful situation like yours.
Hopefully you will find a big chainsaw guy soon, and the insurance company comes, everything is repaired...and life is good again :wink:

Steak and Roasts :wink:

:lol: :lol: that would be an eye opener :shock: :shock:

I love the way you tell a story. Keeps me laughing. I'm sure you weren't laughing at the time. Glad everyone is safe and the skunks caused no harm.

Oh no, Patti!
I'm glad no one got hurt and you got the animals under cover.
Oh, I know TOO well about a skunk spraying...had one spray one of my cats. PEEE YOU!!!

Too funny! left the kids to do the spraying...good thing they didn't!
Patti, it just seems to come in bunches for you, lol! You try so hard to be grateful and then bam!...snatched right out from under you...
you sure do have some adventures on your farm. sounds like green acres. :D

We have two dogs who have killed a skunk in the front yard and every chance they get, still insist on a close encounter with the "other kitty." We now keep "Nature's Miracle" by the gallon jug.

Glad you are all OK.

When our cat had the encounter, he was so close that the "juice" was all over him. He came running in the house like a shot and ran under the couch. I, at the time, was 8 months preggers. I called the vet, not even thinking and she says....if you have Massingil Douch Powder, bath the cat in that. I told her I was preggers and had no need for it, so what do I do? She said, tomato juice. Ok, I don't have any, but I have sauce and soup. She says,,,that'll work. Then to rinse in vinegar and lemon juice. Well, when all was said and done, I had a pretty pinkish kitty and red spotted walls. Hubs didn't think it was funny, but while I was sitting on the edge of the tub trying to bath kitty, all I could do was laugh.
Oh, we did get the little bet of smell out of the house. I used ground up moth ball flakes. Tossed them down on the carpet, left the house for the day, came home and vacuumed it all up. Odor was gone.

LOL Sandpat...that is our daily route here:)Glad to know we share that 'easy' life!:)Skeat

ROTFLMAO. And here's Terri's Kitty!

That's about what he looked like, but had a meaner face lol

OK, how about this one:

LOL
This cat was a fluffy yellow and white. He was MY boy and everyone knew it too! Dang I miss him!
Usually when he needed a bath, I would put him in the tub with me..yes, I would have clothes on lol

:lol: :lol: We do try to be careful around here...mostly we don't get hurt (other than maybe our pride)...but we do have some adventures. I'm just glad no one really follows me around with a camera...now those shots would be something!

Gia...the pics are perfect for Terri's cat. Aren't skunk incidents just awful??? :roll: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for sharing the story.

remind me of this when i start talking about wanting to live on a farm. :wink:

SKEAT...you surfaced!!! was wondering if we was going to have to send out a search party for ya! so, just another day in paradise to you, huh?
man, it's times like these, that make me, say, glad I ain't got all them critters...and run around in the rain, etc? I'd melt! :wink:

He's thinking: "Patti, you only think you had a rough day!"
(course you DID, but you know cats....)

Patti, I am so sorry this happened to you. A farmer's life is always changing, isn't it? And the skunks! WOW, you are lucky you did not get sprayed!

dunno, if it wouldn't have been as bad as usual...the spraying I mean...
or worse, bc there were so many of them! little stinkers! I would have been yelling for hubby too...he might as well stink too, LOL! :wink:

glad you missed me quiltncrazy!:)I had a very bad tooth issue that had me physically down and out for about 2 weeks! I was a very ugly sight here! Looked like I had run into a barn or something:0)But, all is on the mend now...thank goodness!! And, the benefits of living in the country are keeping the mailbox purchases up! Mom/Dad, know what your kids are doing at night if they are bored! This time we had the benefit of unopened condoms :shock: left as a present after the mailbox was torn to shreds w/a knife...so, fingerprints are in the making soon...let's hope the little poop has been caught once before at something....so pathetic! Skeat

Oh Pattie, I'm sooo glad you were able to get all the cows back in, before they really seen the downed fence! And the skunks didn't get you!!
I remember when younger, chasing down horses at 2-3am during storms many times....
And have had to tomato juice a few dogs, but never a cat! lol!!!!!!!!!!!
:-)

AMEN! Love the skunks :D :D :D

Now, why am I NOT surprised!
Mother taught me early on ... black cows ONLY get out at midnight ...
The skunk story was PRICELESS ...
I liked the part where you could call them up - - I do it too ... no cowboying left in me <g> Come, babe, 3x and they are at the door ... so cool! Only range cows in Grant county to do, and YES! I am bragging!
After a night like that, my friend ... you had best like the one you are with, or the work is five times as hard.
Thank you so much for sharing life on your place ... REAL good stuff!
And, you have the corn standing back up ... how cool is that?
How tall is it? I was watching RFD this evening, and in Minnesota, they said, the saying is: Knee high to Fourth of July ... but, their corn is at 6 and 7 inches ... Do you feed the corn to your cattle? (as in lots of acres of corn) or do you eat the corn and feed them the cornstalks?
I know you wouldn't trade your night for anyone else's ... good show!
LOL ... remember you ASKED for this <g> silly you!
If you weren't do ranching/farming, whatever else would you do with your spare time??? LOL