Winter

Winter

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Adventures in the Night

I know I have mentioned that I have a mouse problem in my chicken house. The dog knows when I scream that there is a mouse. I have tried but I just can't help but scream no matter what. So now every time I scream, even the hens come running, and they have become really good mousers. I won't tell you the grisly parts because it is and I have looked differently at my hens. All of this is leading up to my story.

When we moved here one of the things I learned was if you don't put your cats up at night, foxes like to eat them. Foxes have been barking at night so I am very careful and always make sure my cats are in the house at dark.
I have a very fat cat named Linx. She was one of the feral kitty's we got right after we moved here. She has a very different kind of personality. She is the cat who comes and eats every time my dryer buzzer goes off. She is also so fat she doesn't climb fences and when she is feeling frisky in the back yard she can barely climb a tree. She loves my chicken house right now and sits outs there watching what I think are mice. I don't think she catches them, I think she just watches.

Last night I had to take the dog out. It was one of those nights that it was pretty warm, but there was no moon so it was really dark. I was trying to not wake up so I could just get back in bed and go back to sleep.
It is spring. Skunks like spring. Skunks like my back yard. I hate skunks. Last night Sasha was in browse the porch, look at things in the flowerbed, sniff the air, you know things dogs do. I was leaning on the porch rail,
 and I said, " Sasha Go to the bathroom now!" Which is a mistake, I can go right to sleep if I don't talk.
Sasha bounds across the yard, toward a black shape in the yard. I am yelling, " No, no, Sasha come back!!!"  Sasha runs up to what I think is a skunk. Now if you have ever seen a skunk in action, they don't wait for trouble to get to it, skunks rush out to meet it. I was close enough that if that thing sprayed I would get it too.


I ran back in the house, now fully awake... To grab, my flashlight. I always think of things to late. My husband by now is out of bed and at the door. He starts laughing as Linx comes in all purry and happy.  I had no idea I had left her outside. She walks across the bedroom to the door with kind of a sashay.  I of course have just had a adrenaline rush.  I still have to go take the dog back outside. I use the flashlight this time. No skunks.
I know that someday I will be posting about my run in with a skunk. I just hope it doesn't nail me.
I didn't go back to sleep. For hours. My husband and the dog did.

You know sometimes, I think about living in a neighborhood, with neighbors sharing a fence. No tumble weeds to haul or clean up after, no skunks coming in the back yard, no foxes that eat cats. No foxes living on my front porch. Road runners not walking through the yard. My car staying clean. But then I think of all the dreams I still have and I am glad that even though this isn't perfect, it is pretty nice.
Have a lovely Thursday! I am so glad it is almost the weekend. We have another storm coming. I am so excited.
~Kim~

17 comments:

Nancy said...

Sounds like you had a very exciting night...It is for sure that our furry friends can create lots of adventures for us...some fun and some not....but all in all we love them to pieces....

I too hope you don't get sprayed by a skunk......

Alica said...

I heard a commotion one night at 11pm in the chicken pen, so I went out with a flashlight to see what was going on...Lo and behold, a skunk was meandering through the pen like he/she belonged there!! Needless to say, I kept my distance! If it's not one thing, it's another, but it sure keeps life exciting, doesn't it?!

Jacque. said...

Your stories crack me up. I can just see you out there. Glad everything turned out okay and that you weren't sprayed by a skunk.

Debbie said...

What an action packed night!! I live in a neighborhood and it has stinked like skunk for about 2 weeks now!!!

TexWisGirl said...

linx is beautiful. love the tabbies and their salmon-colored noses. glad it wasn't a skunk (this time!)

Meg said...

LOL! Well, at least it wasn't a skunk. I hope you never do get sprayed. But then again, we just watched a myth busters on skunk smell and apparently the solution that actually works is a peroxide/baking soda/something else I can't remember mix. I am excited for this storm too! I hope it's a good one.

Kessie said...

Haha, just Lynxy out watching mice! How funny! I'm glad it wasn't a skunk.

Christine said...

Quite a night!
I hope you avoid the skunks too and enjoy sweeter dreams tonight!

Empty Nester said...

Oh no. You do NOT want to live in a neighborhood sharing a fence with neighbors. I hate it. Especially the drunk ones who bother everyone. Plus, you wouldn't have great stories like this one to entertain us with! :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I have a ritual for going back to sleep if I get up in the night too...I don't turn on the lights and I leave my eyes closed. It works...till I fall over the end of the bed or trip over the cat. :)

Ellen said...

Oh my gosh, I can so identify - when we lived out in the country in MO. Darn dogs want to go out at night and you have to let them go unless you want to accidentally step in something. Then they find something they have to bark at, oh my - you just wake up no matter what. Well, it doesn't stop just because you move to the city. We now live in a regular neighborhood, block wall and all, but Sugar still gets up and thinks she needs to go outside. It's so hard for me to get back to sleep. Darn dogs!!!

annie said...

No way do I want to get to know a skunk! Thank goodness, the kitty, dog & you escaped unharmed. Wonder if your kitty thought you might be a bear? You never know what you might meet in the dark.

Julia said...

Oh poor Kim, I'm still laughing with all your antics. Sorry you couldn't get back to sleep though.

The skunk thing happened to my long hair white cat. It was late and dark and I could smell a skunk from my bedroom window .My cat had wandered off and as I opened the door to call her in before she got sprayed she made a mad dash in the house when she heard my voice. She was blinded as she had her eyes closed because she got sprayed right between the eyes. She had this big yellow stain on her face, the poor thing.

I wrapped her in an old towel and brought her in the sunroom for the rest of the night and closed off the area. That was an experience.lol,

Hugs, JB

Lynn said...

Loved your story, Kim, and I'm so glad there was no skunk to surprise you :) A friend of ours headed home one night and got HIMSELF sprayed by a skunk on the way to his front door! He stayed home from church that week ;)

Sue said...

Kim, this is just the right post for me tonight. I love to hear of your adventures . It was like reading a chapter out of one of my favorite books, you indeed have such a blessed life, as I do too. Just today dh and i were outside painting the fence rails for our garden, we have sixteen , yes sixteen that have got to be painted twice. and we were enjoying all of the sounds that can only be heard on a farm, and he turns to me and says 'You know Sue, we are so blessed"...

I am like you don't like mice and rats. And like you have to deal with fox, but so far not skunks, I think I will let you keep them. ~smile~ And like you when i get woke up have a hard time going back to sleep, and like your Ron, my dh can fall back to sleep very quickly. I often ask him how he is able to do this, and his reply is " a clear conscience". lol.
We are so busy trying to get this fence up, and trying to get our garden planted. I have so many projects that need doing, and so many things have gotten behind due to my set back, but thanks be to our heavenly Father I am back to being well! . I apologize for the long letter, but have missed catching up with you. i think of you so often and wonder what you are doing.
I better close for tonight, enjoy your weekend. I always enjoy your photos, Linx is beautiful.
love,
Sue

Primitives By The Light of The Moon said...

I'm right there with you on the mice and rats. Can't stand skunks never met one I liked! Just too many nightmare stories of skunks and a farmhouse with no cement foundation...let's just say the smell was unbearable.

Now as far as moving back into town I would miss the beautiful sunsets and the stillness of the nights....guess I'll just stay put with the field mice and the skunks!

no spring chicken said...

And what on earth would you have to talk about? Your stories are certainly more fun than mine for living in your beautiful country!!

Blessings, Debbie