The Best Part of Waking Up ...

Ah, there's nothing like waking up in the morning to the pungent, bitter smell of fresh-ground java beans. Unless, of course, it's not actually Folger's in your cup but rather skunk musk. And the scent is not coming from your Mr. Coffee but from your dog's face and the time is not a civilized 7 in the morning but rather a hellish 2 AM.

Yes, the same dog who got a snout full of porcupine quills just got another blast in the puss, this time from a skunk. Why he can't leave these critters alone I don't know. He's inside the house 90% of the time, and alone outsize hardly ever. But in those rare hours during the week where he's flying solo he manages to find every repellent and dangerous creature that crosses the property.

We (and by "we" I mean "Annie" -- sometimes having a job off the property is a blessing) have tried Sprite, hydrogen peroxide, and tomato juice baths (no, not all at once) and the smell is out of his coat. The problem is his face, we're not sure how to keep the liquids out of his eyes and that's really where he got sprayed the worst. So he's exiled to the back yard for a few days, which has greatly offended his Doggie Dignity. He stares mournfully in the windows as if wondering what happened to his happy little world.

I can almost hear his thoughts -- "I thought you guys LIKED the smell of coffee!"