I try to keep an ear to the pond when I’m near it, and with warm weather comes clogged filters. I heard the telltale pitch of the pump motor last night when I was going to bed, so nothing would do but go out there in the tatty red robe we use for hair dye and barefoot and pull the filter in the dark…
Jane came out to bring me my sandals and offer common sense like “Cut it off until morning,” —which I wouldn’t do: I have this thing about our waterfall. It’s like a talisman of peace and tranquility and I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep if the water-sound was dead. So I snatched out the filter, heavy with about 5 lbs of yuck. Jane’s second piece of advice was “Get one of the clean filters from the garage.”
We’d bought some bulk filter material and cut some new filters, and yes, I’d rather that than wet feet and wet everything, so I went after a clean one. Pulling the old one out of the frame spattered yuck all over my feet and hands, naturally—but I got it changed out and happy again and a little soap cured the rest.
That morning I’d waked to the smell of skunk, which was so bad, via our open windows, that I’d hunted down the room deodorant, closed the windows, and tried to get the air breathable. Jane slept through it, though she said she’d been up just around 5 am (I detected skunk at about 5:15), so I think she must have startled the skunk.
I’m sure skunks can’t climb fences the way raccoons can—so I wasn’t worried about the fish; but I was really afraid a fat skunk had bought the farm on the arterial next to our house. It hadn’t, thank goodness: the smell had gone away by breakfast time—I was prepared to do breakfast indoors if it hadn’t.
So, to our year’s total of 3 marmots and a coyote and countless California quail jogging past our house at the edge of dawn on a city street, add one frazzled skunk, who clearly made it through traffic, but who may have delivered an editorial comment on the way.
No repeat this morning, so I hope Pepe le Pew is on his way to an assignation somewhere beyond the next subdivision, down the cliffs and into the wildlife area. You have to wonder what comes next.
Jane meanwhile has been going crazy with the Paintshop Pro program, which keeps slowing down on her; but I rather agree it’s probably the size of the files.
And we get about another week of this 90 degree weather, which means our fishes can go on putting on weight. Nowadays they hang out under the floating ring of water hyacinth and are so interested in something under there that they don’t always come out to beg for food. I have a feeling they’ve found out about hyacinth roots.
Such adventures!
I was at the lake the other afternoon, trying to stay cool without AC. Sat at the picnic table and beaded, swam, came back to table, changed (dusk had fallen), and heard a rustle. I expected it was an armadillo or possum, but I shined my keychain light that way. Black and white stripes, meandering right toward me. I tried to strike a balance between enough vigor in a “shoo!” to encourage it to go away, without so much that it was startled. It did meander on off, after coming within about 8 feet.
I really envy you the California quail. Our bobwhite quail have deserted the county during my lifetime, either because of habitat loss to suburbs, feral pet packs, or fire ants. I miss them.
Wow, when you said black and white stripes, I was thinking California King snake, not skunk! LOL The snakes are awesome, but the skunks, uh, not so much!
Nothing makes you nervous like a skunk. Husband was out in the garage a while back with the door to the patio open, when he decided to close up for the night. He saw something as he was reaching for the door — black with white stripes, slammed the door and zipped into the house. Luckily the skunk was not offended. The next encounter was mine — going off the store for a few things after we got back from a trip, when a suicidal skunk bounded into the street in front of me and started to cavorte — apparently entranced by some bugs in the street light. I stopped short, honked horn while praying I was far enough away if the skunk got annoyed, waited, and then waited some more until skunk finally chased bug back onto the sidewalk. But it must be skunk season right now — must have seen a dozen flattened ones over the last few days on the roads. Windows up with the AC on does not help much.
There’s a pocket park near where I live, that I like to take the dog to for a walk at sunset. The view on the way back is absolutely gorgeous. But one day on the way back, we managed to spot a skunk up on the hillside… probably a good 30 feet away. Thankfully the dog just pricked her ears up and wasn’t _too_ interested in it! We watched it for a while, and then continued on our way.
Many years ago when I had a pride Siamese cats I came home late one night to find three or four of said cats playing with two skunks in the driveway. I could only assume that this was a regular thing as there was real interaction going on and they never got sprayed. When the dog tried to play it was a different story.
One friend opened his front door one morning to find his black-and-white cat outside with two black-and-white not-cats. The cat was happy to come inside.
I remember watching, one day while I was living in west Texas, a skunk walking across the grass, its tail held high as it headed into the windbreak. (The cats were inside at the time.)
Cats seem to get along fine with skunks. With possums, too. With raccoons, not so much.
You’ve probably already touched this in another post and I missed it, but, what will you do with the fish in the winter? Let them hibernate at the bottom or bring them in? Not sure how cold you get where you are.
They will hibernate. Our pond is shaped like England, and Scotland is 3 feet deep at the deepest. We have two heaters, one for the bottom, and one ring to keep an exchange of gases (notably CO2) going. We’re going to be anxious about them during the icy times, but we think we’ve done everything we can for them. We’re most worried about our smallest fishes, who are only about 4″ long. The big horses like Ari and Kenpachi should do just fine.
I have had 2″ goldfish show up just fine in the spring, after a winter invisible under all the green too-enthusiastically-growing aquarium weed in my 2′ deep pool. Sometimes a couple of inches of ice on top. Lots more ice in Spokane, of course, but with another foot of depth in an in-ground pool (mine is above-grade), and heaters, seems like they should be fine. Of course you will worry, and obsessively count any time you can see them …
When I lived in Flagstaff, AZ, I was caretaker for some homeowners who had a huge koi pond. In winter, it froze so hard that none of the pumps could be used, and there were no heaters. The pond iced over and stayed that way for at least three months every year. I literally walked across the ice many times. The fish did fine. I don’t think you need to worry too much. 🙂
Skunk in the morning….eww! We had one squirt somewhere in the front yard but were unaware of it until canine #1 started sniffing around the front door. The scent slowly drifted across the living room until husband and canine #2 reacted. A minute later I get a strong swiff . A friend has one living under her front stoop… and sets out food for it!
I think my Trink may have had a close encounter with a skunk tonight, but I am not entirely sure. She was out for her late-night potty break, and charged something at the back fence (there’s a spot where something’s dug under it, which so far seems to have been used by ground squirrels and rats). She didn’t get whatever it was, but there was a very strong musky/onion-y smell in the yard (and around the dog). The thing is, it doesn’t smell quite like skunk, and it’s strong but not overpowering… like you have to get up close to Trink to smell it. I gave her a bath, and you can still smell it a little, but you have to have your nose like inches above her head in order to do so. So if it was a skunk, I don’t think that she got sprayed, although she might have been close to it. Or, I’m wondering if it could have been a possum. But if it was, it smelled a lot stronger than most possums I’ve seen. And of course, there is the possibility that it was a skunk on the other side of the wall, and this was all just wild coincidence. But it just seems to smell more like possum to me (in my admittedly limited experience.) So, can possums make themselves stinkier when they get scared?
I have not detected it, and I have been within feet of a scared possum. Perhaps, as with snakes, it takes the skunk a while to re-build his supply, and if this skunk had discharged down the block, then run into Trink (having a bad night) Trink might have lucked out.
I’m told that moth crystals around a yard perimeter will discourage raccoons. Maybe it would do the same for skunks. Our Ace Hardware even puts the crystals for sale along with the animal repellants. However I’m sure it has to be renewed after a rain.