About 10 days ago, Mike surprised a skunk one night when he was taking the trash out. In the darkness, he didn't notice the animal or see what it was, only that it looked like a puppy that was "moving funny." It was probably stomping in warning. He dashed off when the tail went up and he saw the white flash, but it was too late.
I'm enormously grateful for the Internet, which provided an effective recipe for musk removal. Tomato juice, all sites seem to agree, doesn't really do it; you need hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid.
I'm still finding some lingering contamination in the house (the towels Mike used after showering, the t-shirt I wore to bed that night, the small pillows we use in place of teddy bears), but generally the musk is gone from the house. Just in time for new and different bad smells.
I'm pretty sensitive to mildew. It's quite a battle in our bathroom, because a few years ago we had a leak that the landlords didn't repair -- just sealed it over, trapping moisture behind the tile. The new landlords are putting some energy into fixing the problem, but this involves extensive repair on our kitchen ceiling and a powerful, industrial fan blowing into the bathroom plumbing access panel (which happens to be on the wall by my side of the bed). Happily, Loratadine/Claritin handles my mildew allergies as well as it does hayfever. We won't be able to use our shower next week, but the inconvenience is a small price to pay for getting this problem taken care of.
Knitting reports:
I apparently dropped a stitch at the heel join in Mom's purple fib socks. That's enough of a problem area on socks even without mistakes, so I frogged back to really fix it. That pair is completed now.
One ball wasn't enough to complete the large adult halfdome cap, which isn't a surprise, but unless I make a longer contrasting brim, one ball isn't enough for me to make the regular adult size either. I finished off the top of the large cap with the black yarn I used for the brim (pictured below in green; the hat is weirdly shaped because it's too big for me, but it should fit Aubrey). I'll buy more of the blue to finish the last few rounds of the regular cap, and maybe knit a second one from the top down so it won't matter when I run out of color.
Nice picture of my bald spot, huh?
5 comments:
You got right to work on the hat! did you use the same yarn called for in the pattern? I am going to pick up some 220 wednsday night for knitty's ear flap hat(minus the peace signs) see you then?
Great hat! I've been knitting hats, too. They're small and easy and I like trying new patterns. Will share - is XY night this week already?
The Mythbusters proved that the chemical combination you used was the best for dealing with skunk. So you were in good hands. Good luck with the mildew problem. Eww!
Cat and I are planning to crash XY nite...Am I going to meet you? I'm bringing Matt up if he wants to come...
Randy-- I'll be there. Looking forward to sociable knitting.
In case anyone is following this saga with interest, workmen ripped out our shower and much of the drywall behind it. We'll be getting a new shower enclosure and a new bathroom floor.
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