Skunk(s)

I do not mind the one or two or three I sometimes see gathered under my bird feeder, feasting on dropped sunflower seeds. What they eat I don’t have to clean up. What they eat the mice don’t get.

But the feeder sits along the driveway, and they are too focused to notice when their world has suddenly lit up. Perhaps they don’t care. My car inches toward them. If necessary, I tap the horn. Eventually, they scatter to one side of the garage or the other.

On the rare occasion that I can’t get them to move, I park at the end of the drive and use the front door. I do not think they would spray me; they seem quite peaceful. But I respect their space.

I have neighbors who seem to find them quite threatening. I suggest that those neighbors make no sudden moves.

I have been feeling oddly fond of the skunks recently, calling them to come back! from the safety of my back door.

According to Wikipedia, skunks occasionally “may be found acting as scavengers, eating bird and rodent carcasses left by cats or other animals.” Lately we have been releasing a lot of rodent carcasses into the wilds of our yard. I like to think someone is getting a decent meal.

Maybe the one whose back is so, so white.

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