Sunday, July 10, 2011 :: How to Kill a Skunk in 5 Easy Steps

Well, I took some photos for you all today, with my little point-and-shoot I keep in my purse...but I can't find the cable to plug it into my computer. Apparently it is packed away somewhere. Such..is..my..life. Tonight I was going to heat up some left-overs I took home from a restaurant earlier this week and needed a cookie sheet...no idea where the cookie sheets are. I did find a cake pan and made that work.

I really thought with everything packed up, I would have nothing to do this summer but relax. But in reality, I spend way too much time digging through rows of boxes trying to find that one stinking thing I need in order to accomplish a (normally) really simple task. I'm not complaining, I'm just venting frustration...ok, maybe I'm complaining.

Anyway, all that to say I have some really good photos for you, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow I guess...and that is assuming I can even locate those cables!!

On the good news front, I FOUND MY IPOD!! I was beginning to lose hope on that one. And no, it was not packed away in some weird random box with no label. It was in the arm-rest of the car...its normal spot. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy.

Also in good news, the sump pump is reducing the water level in our crawl space. And we think the last remaining skunk has been taken care of. But we have yet to find it.

And did you all know that you can legally kill nuisance skunks by either trapping them or shooting them. No other methods are legal. So I'm betting I could possibly go to jail for this one:

How To Kill a Skunk When You've Officially Lost Your Mind
#1) Suspect skunk has crawled into drainage pipe and convince your brother-in-law if he were a good brother-in-law, he would put that canvas bag over the end. (THANK YOU, DARWIN!) In my defense, I WAS the one to tie the rope around it.

#2) Secure triple-ply trash bag over the canvas bag with zip ties. (I love zip ties. If I ever have to be stranded on a desert island, I'm taking along duct tape, W-D40, and zip ties. And I'll be off that desert island in no time. What?!? You don't make lists of things you'd take if you're ever stranded on a desert island??)

#3) Stick garden hose in the gutter and secure with duct tape. (See, I'm telling you, duct tape can help in almost any situation!)

Here's an extra photo just so you get an overall picture of what's going on here....do you know where this is headed?

#4) Turn water on full-blast and let it run for approximately three  five  seven ten minutes. (If you look closely you can see water spraying out of the top of the gutter.)

#5) Turn water off, take off bags, and dispose of contents.

Before all you skunk-lovers have a cow, do you know what I found inside the drainage tube when it was all over with? About a gazillion June bugs. NO SKUNK. So relax. Apparently it was the wind that was making the tube jiggle up and down like it was, making me think the skunk was inside. See, these skunks are making me crazy. I think I'm seeing them everywhere now!

Status of the water? About the same. No significant rise and no significant fall. Water still in the ditches, and about a mile in any direction. Except now I have a flooded flower bed, but I guess that's my own fault, isn't it.