Who let the skunk in and THEN let the dogs out?

All the preparation for in the world for a fine Fourth of July weekend gathering can go down the tubes in one squirt.

It smelled like disaster this morning when something other than Festus entered the shop attached to the house.

I knew we had a visitor while making the morning coffee and hearing Kiwi and Kea suddenly let out some assertive barking.  

After opening the door and turning on the light in the garage, I saw both dogs, still barking and trying to stare holes through the door leading into the shop.

That's when I remembered that I'd forgotten to make sure Festus, the cat, was in the shop, where he resides,  last night.

I like to have all our critters buttoned up and safe during the dark hours.  For some reason, I completely forgot to call Festus and shut the shop door behind him last night.  

My oversight would not be a big problem cuz with the door slightly open, Festus could come and go any time he wanted. 

BUT,  skunks could too. 

The Border Collies were about to break the door down with their noses, so I opened it for them.  That may have been a big mistake.

The visitor was holed up in the moving boxes stacked under the work bench.  I knew that because both dogs stood in front of those boxes with noses at full alert.  

I still had no idea what species could be hiding in there, but I could hear it moving around among the boxes.

So I went to tell Bill.  By the time I spit out the words about the early-morning invader, I did not need to tell Bill anything.  We could both smell what was going on in the shop.

By the time we ran back to the scene, dogs were out of the shop, possibly smarting from the spray.  

At this writing, I have no idea if the skunk is still hiding among the moving boxes, but all cat food has been removed,  and the garage door is fully open as are the windows.  

With some good luck, by the time this afternoon's barbecue begins, the place will be aired out.  I can only wait and hope that the skunk has exited and gone on to greener pastures----maybe even to the barn.

After all, it's still hard for me to believe that Fuzzy Wuzzy, who lives in the barn,  licks that pan of Meow Mix that clean and polished every single day.  

I'll bet this skunk has learned from plenty of experience just how good Meow Mix can taste, and I'll bet I've been subsidizing its meals for some time.

Only time and smell will tell if we're rid of the skunk. In the meantime, I'll be looking for ways to enhance the aroma of that area in time for today's barbecue.  Maybe I'll have Bill fry up some bacon so its lovely aroma can waft through the air past the shop before the guests arrive. 

Other than that, it looks to be a good day as we continue quietly celebrating the holiday weekend here at the Lovestead.  

And, my sister Barbara posted some lovely photos of the Arlee powwow on her Flickr site. 

So, enjoy your day and go check out the photos:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/misstshs/