I feel like poo.

I definitely have whatever Tsu has, just not as bad (so far, thankfully). But on top of it I just generally feel horrible. For one, I am reading this book called "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" and it is just depressing as hell. I'm thinking of the few things my friend Jer has said in passing about his time in Iraq and every page I read just makes me want to cry. I think it is an important book for me to read but man is it NOT the feel good book of the year. Seriously, I recommend this book for anyone who has a loved one who has been in combat. It might help you get a very feint shadow of understanding into what they go through emotionally, even though you can never ever really understand it unless you have been there.

I'm also bummed that our stock keeps dropping. Less than two weeks left before we can sell. Gah.

And also that the time change is tonight.

And also that after yesterday's beautiful weather it has been dark and over cast and rainy all day.

I wonder if I should take some Prozac? lol. I feel like my S.A.D. is kicking back in. Maybe I am just sick and tired. I dunno.

I had a big long thing on here about something else and decided to delete it. I need a nap. LOL. I think I will go knit something.

I can smell again!

And I can smell things other than skunk, even!!


But now I think I am coming down with the flu which my husband has had most of this week. Yay.


And by "yay" I actually mean "BOOOOO!!!!"


Yesterday I stuffed my boots, snowsuit, and all of the clothing items I had been wearing when I ran into the skunk into buckets and doused them with dish soap, laundry soap, baking soda, vinegar, and Skunk Out mixed with hot water. They are still sitting out there soaking. I was going to rinse them today and run them through the laundry but I ended up running to town while Tsu tried to sleep off this flu. I was feeling great. I'd been able to do some more poo clean up and because it was so warm I was out there in my tank top!!!

I'm getting low on hay and my truck can't get down our boggy driveway yet so I needed some beet pulp and alfalfa cubes to tide the ponies over for a week or two until things dry up a bit. Since Tsu was feeling puny I headed into town alone. It was kind of nice. I dawdled, hemmed and hawd, lookylooed. After I got the feed and looked at cob sized horse tack at the Tractor Supply I decided I might as well go over to the fabric and craft store and see if they had any good yarns or knitting supplies. I got some sock needles, this funky yarn cutting pendent, a corset pattern (on sale for only $1.99!!!!) and replaced my Gypsy Costume pattern with one in the proper size.

I must have spent an hour just wandering around aimlessly, lol. You know, shopping alone is kind of.... nice.

Then I stopped on the way home and picked up some freshly made stromboli for my lunch, swung by the library to pick up a book I had requested, then finally headed home.

While I was at Tractor Supply they were having a sale on knee high rubber muck boots. Considering the current questionable state of my barn boots i grabbed a pair of those.

Then, as I headed home, I got a little stinging sensation in my throat, up high. I tried to convince myself it was just because I was singing along with the oldies station so loud ("HONEY!!!! AWWWW SUGAR SUGAR! You are my CANDYYY GIIIIRRRLLLLL and you got me WANTING YOUUUUUUU!!!!!!!") but within the hour I was starting to get a tickle, then a slight dry cough, then chills and aches and a dab of sinus pressure and drainage.

Well, we had plans for this weekend but I have a really bad feeling our weekend plans will involve both of us huddled up on the couch groaning.

I found the weapons of mass destruction, and they are cute, furry and lived in my barn.

How can something so cute and fuzzy smell so horrifically bad?




You may have been told that it is safe to trap a skunk in a humane Live Trap because they can not spray you if they can't lift their tail.


This is a LIE.

Why have governments not used the toxic funk skunks produce for chemical warfare?

I was delighted when I saw that the trap had been sprung, then I saw what was in it. An adorable fluffy ball of black and white fur. I groaned. I sighed. I slapped my forehead. The skunks are a slight problem here but really only because of the risk to the other animals with getting sprayed. The trap is out there to catch opossums and woodchucks. The woodchucks may not chuck wood but they do dig and tunnel and chew and destroy anything they can get their paws into. Opossums carry diseases that can infect horses. They gotta go. The skunks are a nuisance but not one severe enough to warrant trapping and "disposing" of them.

But, you know, once the skunk is in the trap what can you do with it? I put a lot of effort into trap placement in order to avoid catching skunks. I try to bait with things that won't attract them if I bait at all. But this moron just had to decide to come in to the barn and check out the trap.

I didn't take a direct spray. But that didn't stop the stench from being strong enough to trigger my gag reflex and make my eyes water.

Once the skunk was removed (I was very careful to never actually touch the thing or anything it had come into contact with) I stripped off my snow suit and left it on the porch along with my hat and went into the house. I'd had to breath through my mouth to keep from vomiting and I can still taste the bitter garlic and burning rubber taste. *gag*

So I dug out my dish soap, baking soda and some vinegar (since i don't have any peroxide) and headed to the shower. Tsu wandered out of our room, looking groggy, and said, "Man, I don't know where it is coming from but you might not want to let the dogs outside there is a skunk REALLY close!!!"

I pointed at myself. "It's right here."

"Oh. Oh god!" that was when the stench hit him. I stripped down and sent him to toss the rest of my clothes outside then hopped into the shower and lathered up with one concoction after another. I used the baking soda and dish soap, pet "skunk out" shampoo, rubbing alcohol, and body wash with a liberal dash of tea tree oil. Tsu says I got the smell off of myself but the reek in the rest of the house just from me walking through is so bad that he was unable to go back to sleep.

Seriously, how can something so cute and small reek so freakin' bad?

And the winner is....

This weekend was crazy busy. And loads of fun! I'll talk about that here and there later. For now it is time to announce the winner of the february give away!!!!!


And the winner is....


ALBERT! Albert is a lovely sweet fellow I know from the Harlequin Farms Gypsy Horse forum. And here is the winning joke:


A smart ass Lawyer runs a stop sign and is pulled over by a cop.

Cop: Can I see your drivers license and papers please sir,

Lawyer: I didn't do anything wrong officer! You don't need my license and papers!

Cop: You ran the stop sign! License and papers please!

Lawyer: I slowed down. The law wont differentiate between stopping and slowing down!

Cop: The sign says stop. You didn't stop. Give me your license and papers now!

Lawyer: Ok, I'll do you a deal. If you can show me the difference between slowing down and stopping, I'll accept a ticket, but if you can't you let me go!

The Cop agrees. Drags the lawyer out of his car and proceeds to beat the hell out of the lawyer with his night stick and said, "Sir, Do you want me to Stop, or just slow down?"



HAHAHAH!!!!! I got a good laugh out of that one!

The rest of the entries will be posted over the next few days at my other blog, http://randomfrippery.blogspot.com/


Thanks to all who entered the contest, I will post the March give away before the end of the week!