Almost Unpleasant

Yes, we're alive and well. Our last couple of months have been both wonderful and hectic. And basically, as much time as we both spend on the computer at work, we have lacked the desire to spend time on the computer when we get home. But there is also too much that is good going on in our lives to hinder us from sharing. First, though, I would like to share an almost unpleasant experience that we had the other day.

On Friday morning, Vince and I had the rare pleasure of walking together at the beginning of the day. Vince usually rides his bike to work, but the afternoon weather was going to be gross so it was off to the El for him. I take Fridays off, so I usually am not out and about in the morning. However, this particular morning I had a doctor's appointment in downtown Chicago, and I was taking the bus.



Anywho, we were walking along and enjoying each other's company and conversation, when suddenly we saw this...





Now this particular picture does not recreate the situation well. I was about to say, "Oh, look at the kitty." When I realized that this was not a cute little kitty, but rather a skunk butt...poised to spray. We had startled it, and we both took off in a short sprint. We spent the final block of our walk speculating about our day had we been sprayed! Vince would have called in "skunked" for work and would have to take his Greek quiz another day. I would have tried to explain to my new doctor that I don't normally smell this way, but it was unavoidable today.

Despite the fact that we live in Chicago, we have quite a bit of wildlife around us. Lots of squirrels, raccoons, and yes, skunks. This was our closest of our close calls so far. We are usually glad that we notice the skunks before Gumbo does!