During the summer , on Washing Days , the cookstove was busy all day heating the water for the laundry . Mum's habit was to throw open the front and back door in the section house at Tabarette so the intense heat and steam would clear the house - and maybe keep it below 90F if possible .
One day she came in from hanging clothes on the line to find a skunk wandering around the kitchen . As was her usual style she grabbed her broom , slowly and carefully ...she knew what a skunk was by that time . As was the usual style of a skunk , it continued to explore the kitchen , not bothered by Mum's presence at all . ( Thank heaven !) Skunks are rarely intimidated -often startled but rarely intimidated .They keep going about their business fairly sure that no one will mess with them .
Mum waited until the skunk was facing the door then swept the skunk along quickly with a continuous round of 'bum swats' right through the house and to the front door , where she gave it one last lift through the door and onto the track . Then she slammed the door and shut the front window preparing for what was to come .The skunk was a little stunned from the last landing and danced in circles in the middle of the track looking for the culprit . Needless to say , it spritzed a good sized area out front...but not inside .
After work my Dad entered the house in a rush to clear the spray zone and announced that he thought the train must have caught a skunk on the track . Mum assured him that the train hadn't . She explained the reason for the smell . He broke in a roar of laughter telling her she was crazy trying a stunt like that .
"Well you said it couldn't spray if it's back legs weren't on the ground . So , I made sure they didn't touch the floor ."
"Why didn't you put him out the back door ? It was closer !"
"I just hung up my clean laundry . Do you think I wanted him to spray back there ? Damn skunk !"
