We had a visitor last night. Whew! There is no doubt about it, a little black and white creature ventured into our country air, and he brought his fragrant calling card with him.

In the middle of the night I woke up to bright lightning flashing almost constantly and the booming of thunder filling the air. Opening the window to feel the fresh air flowing in just seemed like the natural thing to do. There didn’t seem to be any wind, so I just relaxed and listened to the storm. Memories of long ago storms when I was a child filled my mind, and I easily fell back asleep.

So it was with a rested mind and body that I woke up, reached over for my eye drops, and thought, “What in the world is that?” It took a while, but another memory seeped into my brain. I remembered the time our dog tangled with, you guessed it, gasp! A skunk! My husband washed and washed that poor dog, and neither one of them was ever the same again!

Closing the window was my first reaction! Looking out over the lawn I could see no sign of the dreaded little fellow. He probably was spreading his message to someone further on down the road. It is funny how a never to be forgotten smell can bring back so many memories. Usually it is our sight or our hearing that reminds us of long forgotten events.

But nothing, nothing, ever seems to be more of a reminder than the pungent odor of our friend, the skunk. His place in the universe as an odor carrier is secure.

I’m just glad that I didn’t meet him while walking along our bike trail. He wouldn’t have wanted to move over for me, I’m sure.