I Ran Over A Skunk With A Lawn Mower?

Yes, it is possible to run over a skunk with a mower. This will take some explaining. Our good mower is in the shop and I finally decided I probably shouldn't wait too much longer or I'll need a baler. Off to the barn and I guess I'll take a long shot and see if old Fred will start. Fred is our backup mower and isn't too dependable. As for the name Fred, he's the old man I bought it from. My dad used to name his cows after the men he bought them from, Knute, Carney, Earl, etc. Like father, like son I guess. Anyway, I got the old thing going and off to mowing I go.

Our road has been enduring quite an uptick in skunks since winter. In most cases they won't bother you if you leave them alone, but they're still not really welcome. Sort of reminds me of Walter. He was an old bachelor farmer that used to come around and pester my dad. Kind of like a skunk, Walter would usually make his stops at night and wind up eating our food and after departing, you could still detect his aroma. My patient father would just let him do his thing and then he'd finally go home. Apparently someone took it upon themselves to start trapping these critters and here enters Stanley. Stanley's father was a black something and his mother a St. Bernard and he's a hunter. Since this winter I've been playing hide and seek with Stanley and two skunk carcasses he dragged home. I'll bury them and somehow he'll find them and drag them home again. He won't give up. By the way, skunks stink long after they're dead.

As I start my mowing, I recall one of the dead skunks is by the shed. While mowing the ditch I avoid the second and I'm thinking I'll have to bury these things again after I finish mowing. Then a strange noise from under the deck and I don't need to look. A third skunk carcass! What is it with this dog? I don't need to describe the smell after hitting the skunk with the mower in the tall grass. I've hit many a thing with a mower, but this is the first time I've run over a dead skunk. However the forecast was for rain Friday (and it is raining now), I'm determined to finish and I keep on mowing. Surprisingly after a while I must have gotten used to the smell and can't even detect the odor. This reminds me of old Walter again. Was that his problem?