Hi everyone,
As I walked out of our garage for the paper this morning, I nearly collided with a skunk (not the one pictured but one just like it). It was emerging from a hedge that grows along the front of our house. Its fur was fluffed out for protection against the bitter morning. It was as surprised to see me as I was to see it.

We stopped. From a distance of three feet, we each made a quick assessment. The skunk didn’t seem agitated so I continued the way I was headed, walking slowly toward the paper. The animal was gone when I retraced my steps a minute or two later. The garage door was up, the lights were on, and it was warmer in there. Could the skunk have gone inside? Seeing and smelling no sign of a visitor, I closed the garage door and made my way back into the kitchen. Just another encounter with a citizen of Goose Lake. Another memory.