Our Visitor

A couple weeks ago, I was cooking dinner and the kids were helping me. Hailey was setting the table and Zach was playing with Tate. As I was standing at the stove, I saw Hailey stop and look out the sliding glass door. She called Zach over and pointed out at something in the backyard. I didn't think much of it, so I continued cooking dinner. Here's how the next conversation went:

Zach: Mom, there's a skunk in our yard.
Me: Very funny Zach.
Zach: There's really a skunk back there.
Me: Zach, that's not very funny, you shouldn't joke about a skunk in the yard.
Zach: Mom, I'm not joking, there's really a skunk back there.
Hailey: Mom, Zach isn't joking, we really see a skunk.

At that point, I ran to the door and sure enough, here's what we saw:


A very big skunk walking across our backyard wall.



I stood there stunned for a few minutes and after getting a hold of myself, grabbed this picture (just in case no one believe us - just like I didn't believe Zach the first few times). We continued to watch it and it disappeared behind our shed and out of view.

A minute or two later, Jeremiah got home and heard at least 3 versions of how we saw the skunk in our backyard. I was glad I snapped the picture, because he looked skeptical during all 3 stories. After dinner (which was very long and crazy due to the amount of questions we got about skunks, where they came from, what they do, and if they will hurt you), I sent Jeremiah outside to see if he could see it behind the shed. After looking and throwing a few rocks, we determined it wasn't there. So he proceeded to actually go back behind the shed to see if it happened to be hiding (I was mentally trying to determine if we had any tomato juice in the house!). When he got behind the shed, he saw that the dirt underneath the fence on the side of the yard had been dug up (and the same was true with the other side fence) and that the skunk had probably just gone under both fences and had just walked along our backyard on his way who knows where. Well, we quickly put some wood, rocks, and anything else we could find to block the holes, hoping we wouldn't have a repeat visit.

We haven't seen our little "visitor" since, but the doesn't keep the kids from mentioning it every once in a while when they look outside. And the best part is listening to them tell the story to anyone who hasn't heard it - I swear the skunk gets bigger and bigger every time Zach tells it! Yes, I think that was one visitor I don't EVER want back!