(This is a true story – it happened today, as a matter of fact)
Spring has arrived in the Ozarks: warm days, balmy nights, buds on the trees, and critters emerging from their burrows after a cold, wet winter. Creek beds that were silent now tumble, chatter, and gurgle with renewed vigor and purpose. Trees, once so stark against slate-grey skies, lift their flowering limbs towards the heavens, showing off their fragrant blossoms in bold hues of gold, coral, and ivory. Overhead, hawks dip and lean into the wind, coasting as they search the earth below for some small morsel to eat.
Today, a few truant clouds linger in the sky, timid and indecisive as my husband, two of our sons, and I drive the two miles to church. Pulling into the gravel parking lot, I steer our car through a hodge-podge of vehicles, many dust-covered from the dirt roads. Two minivans, parked near the lawn, corral young children bursting with energy.
Sundays have been a little different ever since this pandemic started. In order to observe the social distancing requirements, our church has been holding drive-in services. The pastor preaches from the stoop while we stay in our own respective vehicles, windows cranked down. It’s not the ideal situation, by any means, but it’s better than skipping church altogether.
The pastor is in the midst of giving announcements when we notice a tiny black hog-nose and two beady little black eyes staring out from the hole under the stoop. Out pops a furry bundle of dubious character, the kind with a big fluffy tail and a white stripe down its back. Just feet away from the pastor, the critter decides to take a look around. After all, it’s not every day a skunk gets the opportunity to steal the show.
Alas, Stinkerbelle doesn’t know the neighbor’s dogs has followed them to church and is laying right by the pastor’s feet. My husband and I watch with bated breath as Stinkerbelle shuffles towards the pastor. Suddenly, she catches sight of the dog, then turns around and….
… scoots back into her burrow under the church stoop. Now that, my friends, is a skunk with a lot of scents.
Discover more from Author Renee Vajko Srch
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