How to start off your morning with Adrenaline

[volksdragon]

Warning: This stunt was performed by a trained professional idiot , do not try this stunt on your own.

I pulled out of my driveway and got maybe 200 feet up my residential street before I saw a skunk, walking up the middle of the street, heading for my car. I slowed down, and it didn't make any move to get out of the road, wandering back and forth from side to side. As I got closer, I saw that it was a pretty small skunk, and had a YOGURT CONTAINER (single serving) wedged on its head up to its neck. It was totally blind, and wandering in vague circles in the road.

I pulled over to the side of the street, and started trying to call my town's Animal Control officer, only to discover that we didn't really have one. I spent five minutes calling around through a few city offices, failing entirely to reach any human beings. As I called around, the skunk continued to wander in vague circles down the road, ocasionally bonking the container on the ground and seeming to startle itself. A few times, a car passed us, and the skunk froze and arched its back, but had no idea really what was around it.

Finally, I realized no one was going to be able to help this skunk in any official capacity, and that if I left it the way it was, it was either going to be run down, or most likely suffocate once the temperature got up into the expected mid-80s. That left... hmm, yeah, me.

I turned the car off, closed all the windows, and got out. A woman across the street in a house saw me and came out and I stepped out of the car, asking, "Are you going to pull it off its head?" "That's my plan!" I replied. "Feel free to laugh if it sprays me."

I positioned myself very quietly in the path of where it's next circle was going to take it, and when it got about two feet away from my foot, I reached down and YANKED the yogurt container off of its head, and started RUNNING the other way!

Looking back, I saw the Skunk STOP, watching me, and then realizing it was free, turn tail and start gallumping off into the neighbors yard and some bushes.

The neighbor applauded while I walked back to my car, crumpling up the yogurt container to throw away later. I think I waved. All I know is my heart was thumping pretty good, I had that cool adrenaline high I love so much, and I figure I've added a few points to my Good Karma account. Besides, skunks are cute. :)

And I wasn't even late to work.

Comments

[buckeyebrain.livejournal.com]

It didn't spray you? Are you sure it wasn't just a female black cat that had white paint spilled down its back?

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

Didn't spray me. It seemed pretty disoriented, and very happy to be able to breathe. And no, not a cat. :)

[volare.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
You are made of pure awesome :D

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

You ARE The Flash!!!!

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I guess so!!

[halleyscomet.livejournal.com]

And the animal kingdom applauds you, both for your compassion and bravery.

:)

So, should we start calling you the Skunk Whisperer?

[musemom.livejournal.com]

Awesome! They can squirt pretty far, good thing you were at the front end.

One more reason that single serving size anything will be the death of the planet.

[gimmeapony.livejournal.com]

awww <3

you be good people.

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

Oh, my god.

[slymongoose.livejournal.com]

WHHHOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

You really *are* a Superhero, aren't you?

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the skunk thinks so. :)

[bigscarypilot.livejournal.com]

You are my hero for the day. Way to go man! I used to do a lot of back country camping and learned that skunks are easy to get along with as long as you don't startle them. You can even feed them without getting sprayed.

Very cool of you.

[smurfbrother.livejournal.com]

What a guy!

[bramblekite.livejournal.com]

aww! you're so good! I have some warmth in the cockle-region. :)

[trilobits.livejournal.com]

you are THA MAN

i am amazed. fantastic.

[white-and-nrdy.livejournal.com]

Nice!!! Either the skunk was thrilled just to get that cup of its head, and/or it realized you had just helped it, and were therefore not a threat. Cars got the raised tail warning, yet you didn't.

In any case, go you!!! Says someone who has pulled over to carry small turtles to the side of the road before they got splatified...

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Very nice work!

skunk!

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

That's awesome. I'm only sad you didn't take a picture before conducting your crazy stunt.

It reminds me of the time I was a kid, and there was a skunk in our garage. My Dad went out with a stick. It rolled over, and he rubbed its belly (with the stick), and miraculously escaped unscathed.

Re: skunk!

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

I had no camera worth taking a picture with. If it had been closer to our house, I might have run back inside to get the camera first. :)

[pearl-and-rose.livejournal.com]

Oh, good for you. That's the kind of story that makes me a little teary. And it was funny to boot!

[naturalapex.livejournal.com]

Dood! Kudos to you for doing that man. We have 'em out here and I tell you, if one gets hit eeeeveryone knows. my dog got sprayed a few times before she learned...takes some serious will to do that.

I bet you wouldn've gotten sick days from it if you had gotten hit! :P Still though, rock on man. Good show!