"Thanks, Nance. Everyone wished me a happy birthday and Fourth Coates and Todd Marx sang happy birthday to me. And, Fourth told me to tell you that your new book is fit for royalty."
"What do you mean? Fit for royalty?" Tony started laughing.
"He reads it every time that he sits on his throne." Then we both started laughing.
"Please tell Fourth that Kinky told me that my books and his books are called dumper books. You can read a full story or chapter every time that nature calls."
After breakfast Tony went outside to do his chores and I walked six more miles with Leslie. Then I cleaned up and went outside to greet Ellen and Eileen and thank them for coming out to walk our dogs. When I got down to the dog pens they were inside Maggie's pen with LaToya taking off the dogs leashes after they had taken them for a walk.
I had a fun visit with Ellen and Eileen as always. Ellen gave me an update on Jermaine Jackson and she told me that he just keeps improving with each day and Eileen bragged that Callie Dean is the smartest dog that she has ever had and how much she loved her. Then she told me that she was going to talk to her sister, Dean and find out who it was in South Carolina that said they knew me. Then we went over to Layla's and Little Girl's pen, so they take them for a walk.
Eileen put a leash on Little Girl first and Layla was playing with Ellen and wouldn't let her leash her, so I went into the pen and caught Layla for Ellen. As we walked out of the pen I told them I was going to walk to the gate with them, so I could visit with them a little longer.
Halfway to the gate entrance we had a surprise visit from Rufus and Roxanne, who ran up to greet us and the dogs. They had escaped from the front yard of my writing cabin and they wanted to visit with us.
As the playful dogs ran circles around us I hollered, "Tony! Tony! We need you!" Then I took off for Kermit to fetch a leash. And then I returned to the party of six and slipped a leash over Roxanne's head and headed in Tony's direction.
When he met up with me he took Roxie's leash from me and then he called for Rufus to follow, as he led them to their new pen. We watched and in seconds T. had them in their pen and he was petting them. After I walked to the gate with the girls, I turned around and went over to Mr. Rogers and Miss Dee's pen to talk to Tony while he fed them.
When I was done talking, Lucy started barking wildly from the "big pen" that was about thirty feet away. I couldn't see anything, because of the barn, but Tony did. T. mumbled a cuss word and shook his head sideways.
"What is it, Tony? Then I smelled a skunk.
"Lucy 's treed a skunk. Can you see the skunk up in that tree? Whewwwwww!"
"No, but I can sure smell it. I'll go get some leashes, so we can get the dogs out of there, so the skunk can leave their pen. Poor skunk. It's not his fault." Then I went back to Kermit and grabbed two leashes and returned to the stink-zone.
After Mr. Rogers and Miss Dee had eaten, T. left their pen and we took off for Lucy's and Ashley Judd's pen to rescue the skunk. Tony put a leash on Ashley first and then he had to holler at Lucy to get her attention—she came running to him and he leashed her. Then he told me to go down to the tree near the end of their pen and wait with them.
"We thought we smelled a skunk," Ellen said, as Layla and Little Girl walked beside them. "Good luck!"
A few minutes later, as Tone tossed rocks into the tree to scare the skunk out of the tree, I waved goodbye to Eileen and Ellen as they drove away. A couple of minutes later Tony quit throwing rocks and took off towards the area where we keep our fencing materials. "I'll be right back," he hollered.
Thirty-seven bad smells later, Tony came out of the bushes carrying a long pole that we use for the top railing on our fences. I guessed that it had to be twenty feet long. It made me laugh, because he looked like a cowboy fixin' to pole vault a barn. "Cowboy Up!" I hollered, jokingly. Tony didn't laugh.
Lucy, Ashley Judd and I watched in the shade, as Tony stood as far away as possible from the skunk—trying to poke the overweight skunk to get out of the tree. Five seconds later the skunk filled the air with his or her's "Eau de Toilet" foul fragrance and climbed down the tree. And, I held my breath hoping the skunk wouldn't head in our direction and kill us and also because of the foul odor.
Lucy stood up and started barking at the skunk at the other end of her pen as Tony ran off as fast his cowboy boots would let him! "Run, Tony! Run!" I screamed, jokingly. The skunk must have understood Lucy's words, because he looked at us, lifted his tail to leave his calling card and then he took a sharp right and waddled toward the fence and then he went through it into the woods. He was free! Our first skunk rescue! Yes, it was a stinky job, but someone had to do it and Tony did it on his fifty-sixth birthday! Yeah, Tony! You're now our official Skunk Whisperer!
"You can let the dogs go!" Tony said, as he walked into the pen. Lucy ran to Tony the second I unleashed her and Ashley decided to stay put, in the shade. And fortunately, Tony didn't get skunked. Here are a few pictures that T. took of the skunk during the ordeal:
Tony and I love the pictures of Callie Dean and can't believe that she went from this to this.
P.S. I wrote this after lunch and scheduled it to post at seven o'clock, because Tony and I are in Kerrville at La Fours restaurant celebrating his and Lisa's (tomorrow is her birthday) with Matt and Meghann. We should be home in any minute.
Y'all have a great evening! And, Happy Birthday, Tony! I love you—you little stinker!
1 comment:
Happy Birthday, Tony!
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