From The Storyteller
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March 5, 2018, Skunks
Dark time in South Texas after a 100+ day. I am heading into the backyard hoping to find cool breeze. Instead I find myself standing within 6 feet of 5 skunks. At that moment standing very still seems like a great idea. There is a big one (mom?) and four little ones (babies?) doing the skunk imitation of a box full of three week old kittens. Since at this point they are ignoring me, holding my breath is no longer required. A scared a mother skunk however, at 6 feet, would definitely alter my evening plans – so I remain a statue. The kids keep playing and Momma is slowly moving her brood away from me. This is good. Thankfully, my sudden appearance in the yard didn’t surprise Mom enough to cause a premature ending to her family’s outing. I have become the invisible man. My arrival not only failed to interrupt their fun, I had been transformed into a guest at a wild animal fun fest. The young ones rolled and pounced right up until mom decided it’s time to go. She leaves with the kids doing a small skunk parade behind her. They disappear through the hole in our back fence, and I find myself smiling from ear to ear. They played, and just by being present I became a participant in that small family gathering. No, skunk family visitation did not move to the top of summer activities list, and yes, I probably could have escaped sooner. Truth is, after watching them for a few minutes I didn’t want to. Our neighborhood skunk family didn’t seem to mind my presence at their family fun night out, and by them including me, I had a great summer evening. Moral: Great things can happen if we just stand still and watch. |