My dogs know if wildlife comes within 200 feet of the house, even with the windows and doors closed at night. Joy, my pitbull chow-chow mix, will wake me up from a deep sleep, begging to be let out to give chase. Because Joy is only 99% housebroken, and I don’t know if it’s the call of nature or the call of the wild, I’m compelled to let her out. Flora, the older dog, always takes advantage of an open door and joins her adopted sister outside.

One morning, when I opened the door for them, the air was crisp with a hint of coming spring, but skunk perfume filled my nostrils when the dogs came in. Flora was not the culprit this time. She smelled like wet dog, but Joy was saturated in Pepe Le Pew scent.

At 4 a.m., I wasn’t ready to bathe her, so I held my nose and made Joy stay in my office. I hoped the rug would not absorb the stench. After the day warmed up and I’d fed the cattle, I mixed up my de-skunking potion (equal parts hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish detergent), put on a rain jacket, and led Joy on a loose leash to the holding pen. Joy tugged on the leash to escape as we approached the wash area. I snapped her lead onto the gate, hooked up the hose and turned on the water.

Joy didn’t like the hose’s hissing sound but didn’t mind the cold water. An audience of cattle watched from behind the holding pen gate as I lathered Joy with my homemade soap. Flora came by to commiserate. Joy survived, and once I rinsed her twice, the eau-de-skunk was gone.

My office reeked of skunk for days, as did the spraying site in front of the barn. Just as Flora learned to stay clear of those cute black and white critters, I hope that Joy will as well.

I’ll take the skunk encounter as a sign of spring, like the return of robins. How about woodpeckers? I saw one of them a few days ago. Did you know that the woodpecker symbolizes new opportunities, creativity, optimism and courage while it rids trees of pesky insects? I also read on the internet that while they don’t sing, woodpeckers play music by tapping different parts of a tree to create higher or lower notes. Anyone who’s heard a woodpecker tapping on their metal roof will know woodpecker “music” is not always welcome.

One sure sign of spring is the pre-Easter celebration on Saturday, April 8, at Miles Smith Farm. Don’t miss out on this fun event where you can meet Joy, the skunk hunter, and maybe see a red-headed woodpecker. A calf was born at last year’s springtime event, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if that happened again? All proceeds benefit Learning Networks Foundation, a nonprofit that connects people to farm animals. You’ll not only have fun meeting all sorts of farm animals, but you’ll be supporting a wonderful organization. Sign up at learningnetworksfoundation.com/book-now.

See you in April.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm (www.milessmithfarm.com) in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com.

 

]]>