How To Liven Up Your Sewing Day
 

We finally got springtime weather here, and the wife had the shop door open to take advantage of the cool breeze at about 10 in the morning. The flies aren’t out bad yet, and we get cabin fever just like everyone else. There was nobody in the shop but her as she worked on some alterations, and the door motion detector had been silent, when she got the slight whiff of a skunk. She was just thinking to herself that she hoped that skunk didn’t try to come into the shop, when she noticed movement by her left foot. Her sewing table is about 20 feet in from the doorway.

The skunk was already in the shop with her! She pretty much froze like a deer in the headlights, except her left toe moved just a little, and the skunk retreated back toward the open door but decided to rummage around on a shelf under the backside of the checkout counter for a while. About that time, a customer headed into the shop out on the sidewalk. The wife called “don’t come in, I have a skunk in here!” at which time the customer came into the shop and asked her what she’d said.

The wife got the customer on in away from the checkout counter. The skunk got out from under the counter and hopped up onto the front display window platform, and then headed along the window across toward the open door. Then it turned and headed back across it away from the door. Then it went the other way again. The ladies had differing views on either side of the counter, and neither could see an area directly behind the counter, so they began calling the action that “he’s over by the door” and “he’s back over on my side now”.

The skunk reversed travel a couple more times before finally hopping down into the open doorway, out the door, and on out onto the sidewalk. The last time that the ladies saw the skunk, it had crossed the street and headed up the alley to go liven up someone else’s day. The wife closed the front door.

It wasn’t a full-grown skunk, but it wasn’t a little baby one either. After he left, there was no lingering smell, no damage, just a close call, and a great (true) story. Small town life can be so interesting. And no, she didn’t get any photos of it, but thanked me for asking......

CD in Oklahoma

a great (true) story. Small town life can be so interesting. And no, she didn’t get any photos of it, but thanked me for asking......
Great story CD! It sure is nice to finally enjoy spring weather after this winter.....even if you do have to enjoy a little skunk along with it. ;)

We woke up to the sound of a tom turkey looking for a wife. He was strutting around the front yard!

Not only liven up the day but certainly got the circulation going. I would certainly have a glass of vino to calm down the nerves. Has to be 5:00 some where! LOLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

A friend had a skunk show every evening for cat feeding time.They all got used to each other

That's hilarious!

This happened yesterday morning (I forgot to put that in my OP). I was at home, and when things sort of calmed down, she called me to tell me about it. Since no damage was done, we had a great time laughing about the whole event.

She said that she is surprised that she didn’t panic and make a fast move that would probably have caused a worse outcome, but she said that she didn’t really know WHAT to do. She’d never been that close (4 inches) to a skunk before. I suggested that she could probably tell by looking at him that he didn’t have any money with him to spend, so she just kept her seat at the sewing machine. She agreed, and will use the excuse that she knew he was just one of those “Looky-loos”, so she didn’t even get up (ha!).

After eight years, this is her third critter that’s came in when she’s had the door open; a dog, a bird, and now a skunk. The dog was just overly friendly and didn’t want to leave, but the bird played “dodge-broom” for quite a while, from one end of the shop to the other, before she finally got him out of there. He lost a few feathers during the fracas, but he flew away mostly unhurt.

CD in Oklahoma

My SIL cornered a skunk in the chicken house last spring. Then he decided to take it out with a 2x4. SIL got nailed by the skunk before SIL beamed the skunk. The chickens didn't like it much either. DD threw out his clothes. BUT to get off scott free??? WOW

One warm June evening I went out to our garage to get something and saw a very young skunk over by all our camping equipment - the little skunk looked at me, I froze then carefully backed out, praying he wouldn't spray. So I decided to go to a grocery store to get what I needed. All through the store I could smell skunk, it was driving me crazy because I felt sure he hadn't sprayed. Finally at the check out, the cashier said, the lady ahead of me had her dog sprayed by a skunk that evening and she was there getting tomato juice, but without thinking she had put her dog in the car to come to the store with her. I was so relieved it was her and not me that smelled. When I got home, I did see my little friend walking out of the garage, at which time I went out and closed the door so he couldn't return.

Seeing skunks can really get the blood moving through the veins or stop it all together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ds1tGbDFtE
Dead skunk song

I always wondered about those doggie doors................what keeps unwelcomed critters out?

Wow. My heart would have been skipping beats!

She is so lucky that it didn't spary in the shop. It takes forever to go away. But a good funny story.

My DH was nose to nose with a skunk one time, he thought that a stray cat had come into the garage. He saw it out of the corner of his eye, it went under the furnace. Thinking he would shoo it out of there, he bent down and realized it was a different kind of "kitty"! He backed away slowly and left the door open for it to leave. No harm to either him or the skunk.

Too funny! My mom had a skunk as a pet growing up but she got it as a kit and they had it "debagged" so no spray. Otherwise it was just like an oddly marked cat. No clue whether it used the litter box or not!

Too funny. :D
I've been sprayed a couple times.
We had a pet skunk that I caught when I was growing up. I actually caught two babies at the time. I think their mother had been hit by a car so they were just wandering around our neighborhood. One was pretty friendly and let me pet it without any fuss, the other took several days to calm down and I got sprayed by her. The friendly one got loose and I couldn't find it again. We ended up making a pet out of the mean one. We had her descented but it didn't help much. She still had a real strong musky scent and pretty much did as she pleased. As near as I can tell skunks are used to being the boss. They really don't know fear.
One night about 6 years ago when I let the dogs out to go one of them caught a skunk. I thought he had a cat so I ran up and got it out of his mouth before he could kill it. I ended up getting sprayed a little for my effort. Fortunately the smell didn't linger long. It's been my experience the smell will wash off with a couple showers.
Rodney

Dawn and peroxide is supposed to be the magic de-scenter.

Glad it wasn't in a sharing mood.

When Hubby shot a skunk in our quonset barn, we were told to use Masengil douche to spray and remove the odor.

Our dog, Gus, has had 2 encounters this year already. No, we didn't let him on the chair when he smelled like skunk. He caught the 1st one and killed it..... drug it into the yard to show us. We didn't see the 2nd one but it got him. He doesn't like baths but he's had his share of them this winter. The bad part is that once you get that smell into your nostrils, it lasts for the longest time.

Your wife was lucky, Thayer. I'm not a skunk fan. ..... couldn't have one for a pet, sorry.

Nothing at all! My cousin just had a muskrat come in the cat door for a visit. Sent her Yorkies into absolute fits!

my dog got skunked, took her down to the river to play, bu the time she was finished the smell was gone.

I just have to know....did someone do a "head-replacement " on that dog?

It's really kind of scary when skunks come around, that smell is so awful. We were camping in a tent years ago and had a huge old Basset Hound asleep next to us. For some reason, I woke up and there were about 12 or 13 skunks surrounding our tent, just sniffing and walking around. I was so frightened that dog would wake up and start howling, I stayed awake for a long time. I can't imagine how you felt with the skunk in the shop with you !

All's well that ends well! Thanks for a good story that made my day.

Maybe an old fashioned screen door would be the answer but then we wouldn't have such wonderful stories to laugh about. We had a dog that always had to play with the skunks just so she could have her tomato juice baths!

So funny; thanks for sharing. About 20 years ago late one afternoon my husband walked out the door of the family room onto the covered patio and encountered a skunk. I was a few feet away in the kitchen starting supper when I heard a commotion and my hubby came rushing, thrashing, and flailing back into the house. After I determined he wasn't having some sort of seizure or attack, I laughed until my side's hurt! DH wasn't quite so amused at the time, but recovered his sense of humor later. I still chuckle to this day when I think about it!

Great story! Skunks really do have no fear. A friend of mine was on his knees working in his backyard pond when one of his many cats walked up and nuzzled against him like cats will do. He casually reached back and scratched its head, and the cat started rubbing its head against his fingers, enjoying the attention. Then he realized, "This cat has a funny shaped head." He looked down, and sure enough, he was petting a skunk, and the skunk was thoroughly enjoying it! He stopped petting and eventually his new friend got bored and wandered off. Every time I see him I think of that story!