Two things have happened in the past week were both strangely invigorating and a let down. Oh and in the same day! Wake boarding skills have improved, but were cut short due to weather while mischievous doings received consequences.
Floating Baboons
Have you ever been stranded in the middle of a body of water with no means to get to shore? I have had the pleasure to do so last Tuesday. Thankfully the way things ended hadn’t really been extreme, but still the feeling I felt was something new.
We had been wake surfing and wake boarding just before until we saw lightning not far off in the sky. Our boat driver Tom decided to turn in for the day seeing a threat to our health. We began full throttle towards the docks hoping to beat any rain.
I sat right behind Tom staring at the shoreline of the canal hating every little strand of hair dancing wildly across my face. You have no idea how annoying they are when they tackle your eyeballs. I was stupid enough to forget the ponytail I lied on my desk ready to go. Eh, oh well. The next to come had eliminated the burning hatred for the strands of hair.
First, I saw Tom whip his head around looking at the back. Second, I heard a loud explosion-like sound where the engine is on the boat. Thirdly, Tom slew down to a stop and turned off engines. Lastly, we all knew this was not good. Tom threw a ‘not again’ expression as this has happened before. The engine blew and wouldn’t start. At this point, I looked around us feeling stranded. A new feeling I have never felt, but to my surprise it wasn’t scary really. Perhaps the situations didn’t make it frightening. If were in the middle of the ocean with no food or drink then there would be time to panic. Our predicament had civilization all around and a boat launch about 100 meters or so away. We did not become floating baboons for the crocodiles!
The boys on the boat hopped out and started to swim the boat in towards shore with a favoring wind. The feeling I had experienced subdued instantly as I became humored watching Will tug the boat at the front with a rope. Everyone who was there got home safely and the boat tailored. Ironically it was going to be traded in a few days later for another boat.
The day ended up interesting leaving my life an experience to look back on.
Skunk Raiders
Skunks, our smelly friendly outdoor neighbors, or so they are in small towns smack dab in the middle of lush wildlife environments. I smell their presumptuous odor as a wake-up alarm in the morning, on Tuesday mornings I see their splurge before trash pickup, they sometimes take nightly walks (I keep a safe distance) with me, or on my runs at the campus’ outdoor trails. Despite their nuisance behavior, I have heard from several people skunks make great pets. Why on Earth would you want something like a skunk? I mean, yah, you can remove the their scent glands, but can you rid of their trash addiction? Another question, do they have vicious personalities? I mean they are wild animals am I right, so they pose some sort of threat because of their animal instincts. For example, I stumbled upon a baby skunk running through the Tech Trails one day. I was startled and so was the little critter. Him (or her) and I both made squeaky noises on the sudden realization that each of us were there. In my panic, I searched quickly with my eyes for mommy, but didn’t think it would be a great idea to stay and wait. Quick steps found me looking back at the little guy remembering how cute he looked. Heh, he did not look so cute that time I glanced back. It seemed he had a smirk on his face as he was turning his behind at me! Dirty little trickster! You get my point anyway.
I have also had the pleasure to brush my leg up on one (much bigger than that cute little bugger) in my pitch-black porch. Intense experience I tell yah, between touching the darn thing and scampering out, I thought about rabies and dying. Told you! They pose a threat to my health! Thank god the trash stealer did not spray his brand perfume.
Interesting though, if one disappears another takes its place. My neighbors, and good friends, across the street have experienced the wondrous trash raids. I believe it was just before 5:00 A.M. Wednesday morning I arose into a half-sleep state. It is the point where you are dreaming and awake accustomed to your dream and the environment around you. It is almost a lucid state of mind. Well, anyway, I heard shouts and thought in my dream someone was shouting and before I could investigate a loud, thunderous sound awoke me. I sat up in my bed looking toward across the street in pitch black. Was that a gunshot?
At this point I heard more shouting and another thunderous sound suggesting it wasn’t a gunshot. I determined it to be something my neighbor was doing, but I had to sneak a peak to see what the heck was going on! I peered through the small hole in my shades to see an interesting site. At first, I thought Nick might have been drunk off his ass as I saw him holding what looked to me like a spear. A motha f’in spear!
I wonder if my mouth dropped at the site. I stared in bewilderment as I watched him wind backward and threw with all his might at the other side of their porch.
BOOM!
My eyes searched the street for any other curious individuals, but to my surprise no one had been awoken. I mean this sound was just as loud as thunder or a gunshot down the street. I also was surprised their duplex neighbors didn’t turn on a single light or wander to the window. I probably would have been cautious, but I would think something like that would perk my interest. I think I would be the one in the movies that would be murdered first, bwah, ha, ha.
Nick grabbed more things such as a broom and kept throwing the items on the other side of the porch. Slightly bewildered still and under the assumption he was intoxicated I was going to call the cops to settle him down. Until I noticed he kept throwing the items with careful aim directly at the same spot on the porch. Wait, a second here, there was that skunk I had seen the previous day wandering their steps. I had realized Nick had stumbled upon a skunk raid. He did not seem so thrilled as I heard every pounding boom echoed down the street. I felt pity for the little guy, but if it had to be the skunk or me I would have probably defended myself as well.
Soon enough, Seth wandered out with pellet gun through their front door. Nick had been shouting at the thing while poking it with something. I wondered if it were dead and hoped it was. Having a slow death like that would not be my choice to go. I lied back down in bed after Seth shot it with the pellet gun and they returned back into their side of the duplex.
An hour and half later I woke up to my alarm for work.
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