you might think you know what skunk smells like

i took the dogs out for a walk last night in a very, very big field near the softball diamonds below where we live. there's a lot of high grass that surrounds the field, and apparently...

some skunks live in there.

our younger (some may argue dumber) dog, marley, got the brunt of the encounter. she was completely covered in stink on her face and chest and shoulders. sadie was pretty close behind, and she didn't smell too great either.

it's the first time the dogs have been skunked, and oh... my... god. i have never smelled skunk up close - usually from a quarter mile away on some midwestern country road - and i am here to tell you it is an entirely different smell. it doesn't even resemble that nice, far-away, skunky weed smell so many of us are familiar with. the close-up skunk smell is much, much, much worse. it's like turpentine and rotten pee and sulfur. actually, that would have been all right. i can't even put into words how bad it was, so i'll stop trying.

marley sneezed all the way back to the car. i put 'em in the back (ruby sue the subaru stinks now, too), hightailed them home, chained them outside, and mixed up a solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. it was a cool night, and the girls were covered in this nasty, soapy mix - sneezing it off their faces, shivering, and generally just looking miserable. we left it on for about 7 minutes and then washed them up. it helped a lot, but i don't think anything will take it away immediately. it'll be a few days before they get back to their normal, sweet smelling selves.

on another note, after reviewing my last post, i think i may have been a little harsh. though i'm not a fan of rush or yes or other seventies "prog rock" bands, i certainly don't fault anyone for loving music. and, if someone wants to blast their favorite music for half an hour a day, that's fine. but when i'm 45, i'll be blasting wilco or sublime.

and not rush.