Perhaps I should have expected one more strange thing to happen today. For the first time in who-knows-how-many mountain bike rides, I got cold. Or rather, I returned cold.
It seems to be against some fundamental law of nature to experience anything other than cold mornings and hot mid-days. The day seemed sunny, so I under-dressed. Then it played a strange trick and clouded over. So I was cold all the way back down the mountain.
When pulling into the "driveway" of our camp, I saw a small, strange animal running away. My dog saw it too. Was I ever glad that she was leashed!
But it wasn't quite Pepe le Pew of Loony Toons fame. Rather, it was a western spotted skunk, an animal that I had never seen before. Of course skunks like to stay unseen.
He couldn't have weighed more than 2 or 3 pounds, and dare I say it, almost cute! He wasn't about to hang around while I fumbled with a camera.
For those who are interested in the etymology of words, consider Pepe le Pew of LoonyToons. Remember way back when people would say "P U!" when something stunk? The English words putorius and putrid come from a similar Latin word that means "stink". There is a French verb that means the same and starts with 'pu.' Surely that is where the interjection, "P U" comes from, as well as French-speaking Pepe's last name.
It seems to be against some fundamental law of nature to experience anything other than cold mornings and hot mid-days. The day seemed sunny, so I under-dressed. Then it played a strange trick and clouded over. So I was cold all the way back down the mountain.
When pulling into the "driveway" of our camp, I saw a small, strange animal running away. My dog saw it too. Was I ever glad that she was leashed!
But it wasn't quite Pepe le Pew of Loony Toons fame. Rather, it was a western spotted skunk, an animal that I had never seen before. Of course skunks like to stay unseen.
He couldn't have weighed more than 2 or 3 pounds, and dare I say it, almost cute! He wasn't about to hang around while I fumbled with a camera.
For those who are interested in the etymology of words, consider Pepe le Pew of LoonyToons. Remember way back when people would say "P U!" when something stunk? The English words putorius and putrid come from a similar Latin word that means "stink". There is a French verb that means the same and starts with 'pu.' Surely that is where the interjection, "P U" comes from, as well as French-speaking Pepe's last name.
Comments
Did that spotted skunk have the same arrogant 'skunk walk' that the stripped skunks have?
Bon vivant, I can't vouch for the authenticity of the photograph -- I just grabbed the one from a Google search that appealed to the eye. The point is that when you see a spotted skunk, it will make an impression on you!