Spring has sprung and things that have wandered to the back of my mind over the winter dramatically leapt forward before my eyes were opened this morning.

Drifting in the peaceful slumber of the ‘not ready to be fully awake’, a scent tickled my senses.  The accompanying utter of “Oh no!”, drifting up the stairs, crashed me into full awareness.  Thankfully, it wasn’t followed by loud expletives and a panicked plea for aide.

It appears my dogs startled a skunk on its early morning stroll.

Lying in bed with the smell of fresh eau d’skunk wafting through the optimistically open windows, I realized many things:

Skunk awareness isn’t just for dusk.

I am the proud owner of the three stooges of skunk stupidity, chasing anything that moves because, “Oh my god, it could be a cat or squirrel” aggression, “Woo hoo! WHAT IS THAT?!?” curiosity, and “Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you chasing? I will chase it too!!!” gormless enthusiasm and…

Denuding one dog of the scent of skunk and its lingering effects will be a small dot in the universe compared to trying remove the odour from three.

Blossoms, sunshine, rainbows, laundry on the line, green van adventures… ticks, mosquitoes, hot spots and skunks the beauty of spring unfurls.