The Visitor Under the Bed

The days passed and still we were left wondering what was living under the floor, and our bed.  It was a very old run down house so of course there were places an animal could get in, but we didn't think it could be very big as the holes were fairly small.  I wish now I had taken pictures to show you but I was so busy at the time I didn't think of it.

Our days were filled with planning and the execution of those plans. So, it was only in the mornings just as the sun was coming up and we were stirring, or in the evening when the sun was setting that we thought about our visitor as we heard the noises of coming and going. I wondered why whatever it was stayed.  Wasn't it afraid of us?  I was sure that normally a wild animal will leave if humans move in, which left me wondering if it was possibly a neighbors cat.

Mountain Man soon became determined to find out what it was.  It really was bugging us, what with the smell and noises which would sometimes keep us awake for hours or wake us up in the night. It had to go. Eventually, by waiting at the window and being patient, he caught a glimpse of our late night visitor. But even then it was hard to tell what it was, or how big it was.  We did know it was much larger than we had imagined and pretty dark in color. We would just have to outsmart it. Wake up earlier than normal and catch it in the act of leaving.

So, the next morning he was watching at the window while I was still snuggled down in bed.  The room was small, as I stated earlier, and our bed was only a few feet from the door and the window, so I could see him there in the faint light of dawn, waiting.  Myself, I was still tired and just wanted a few more minutes of sleep. Even our little dog seemed skeptical as she hadn't moved from her bed. Suddenly with a shout "There it is!" he sprang for the door.  He had almost missed it!  It had just rounded the corner of the house and was getting away! Opening the door he rushed out.  However, for some reason the animal heard him (can't figure out how that happened) and instead of running way had come back!

Of course I didn't see this but right at that moment I realized I couldn't breath! I immediately pulled the covers over my head but it didn't help.  My eyes were running like crazy and no matter what I did I couldn't catch a breath but coughed and choked in agonizing pain. It took me a few moments to even realize what had happened. Yes, it was a skunk and not just a small skunk but a full grown adult. Mountain Man had pulled the door closed on his way out but it didn't make much of a difference. As long as I live I will never forget that smell.  All I have to get is a faint whiff of it now and I feel ill.

So there we were, skunk sprayed and smelling horrible.  We couldn't stay here yet where could we go? How were we going to get rid of the smell? Most people who have little experience with skunks seem to think them fairly small creatures, about 3 lbs or so.  This skunk was easily as big as my 20 lb little dog. How she had managed to get under the house will forever be a mystery to us. It was certainly an adventure and I can laugh at it now but in that morning in the faint light of dawn it was horrifying.

We ended up packing up clothing we thought might not smell too bad. Cleaning up ourselves as best we could and going to a Motel.  We had to stay away long enough for the smell dissipate, at least a bit, before we could even attempt a clean up and we had to get ourselves smelling better.  I couldn't believe the motel didn't send us away at first whiff but thankfully they didn't.

You may well be asking what works when you have been skunk sprayed.  Don't use tomato juice! That will just compound the issue. I can state with absolute certainty that nothing works better than peroxide.  We used up quite a few bottles of it.  Rub it in good. Soap it off and rinse with a water/vinegar mixture. You don't need much vinegar, and it doesn't do much except mask whatever bit of smell is still left.  But the peroxide really works wonders.