Tonight I was a little early for a little gathering at a certain friend's boyfriend's gift shop in downtown Hot Springs. Since it had been one of those days where there were a ridiculous number of back-to-back technological snafus in the morning and the heat of the afternoon was so intense it put me in a psychadelic state of being where I was sweating like a wild lady sasquatch and thinking crazy thoughts, I mixed me up a stiff one on the rocks after work (and after a cold dippy-poo in the creek) and decided to get my Relax on. To kill a little time before the 9 pm gathering, I took my little highball on a slow walk through Hot Springs, whose main street was surprisingly quiet and devoid of people. The evening air was warm and perfect- the height of summer.
When I got to the bridge over Spring Creek, some movement caught my eye, and I spotted a skunk emerge from the creek bank and scurry up the hill. Relaxed and slighty buzzed from the whiskey and the day's heat, I immediately transistioned into stalking mode and followed the critter silently across another ditch and through the parking lot behind the outfitters store and the rafting company. So focused was I on the skunk that I didn't notice a posse of ole boys hanging around outside the Town of Hot Springs maintenence center. They startled me by speaking to me, and I wondered how long they had been watching me stalk the skunk and if they thought I looked weird. Apprently me chasing the skunk was nothing to them though, because they proceded to let on that they knew exactly where the skunk goes every night and exactly what to do to avoid getting sprayed if you catch a skunk in your live trap (something that's actually been heavy on my mind this week). I was also told by one of these fellers that if you catch a skunk, you can go on and take it to the vet and have it's spray glands removed and "it'll make you a good house cat."
Thank god for Hot Springs.
2 comments:
Magnificent 301st post Dane. I love imagining you stalking a skunk while buzzed. My Dad caught one when he was a kid and took it to the vet. He got to watch the operation where he removed the glands. Sadly, the skunk didn't survive the anesthesia:( I do think they would make a super cool pet though! I don't know that they's be as good as a 'possum...only one way to find out!
I've been relying on gin and tonic myself, which is technically a hiball variant. I've been told that skunks can be de-smelled and made into pets, but I've never really had the urge. Strangely, at the very moment I am typing this "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" is on the NPR and they are talking about ADOPTING SKUNKS AS PETS. This must be a sign.
Thanks for giving me a glimpse into that delightful Hot Springs evening and being part of that weird pet skunk coincidence.
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