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Skunk in the bathtub

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02:06 pm
4/30/08

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eugie
I want to give a huge "thank you!" to everyone who answered the eleventh hour plea for volunteers and came out to help rescue fifteen pallets of Meisha Merlin books last week! Y'all rawk.

This past weekend was a three-dayer for me, since we Georgia government employees get Confederate Memorial Day off. Yep, Confederate Memorial Day. And how exactly does one celebrate Confederate Memorial Day? By bathing a skunk, of course!

It actually went better than usual. I did not get smacked in the face by a sudsy tail—the first time that hasn't happened, I might add. And, while Hobkin was obviously displeased at being plunked into a bathtub full of lukewarm water and lathered up with baby shampoo, he put up less of a fuss about it than we know from experience he's capable of. Also, he did not (this time) go running amok through the house afterwards, collecting dust mice and lint in his still-damp, newly washed fur.

Of course, I was compelled to snap a couple pictures to compound the indignity of his ordeal:


Doesn't he look piteous?


"Umf. Must escape bathtub!"

   


Writing Stuff


New Words/Editing:
• Back to work on WiP, "Morozko." A major editing pass to hack out around 500 superfluous words and then hammer out 600 new ones gives me a net gain of 100 words. Making progress.
• 1400 on "Cthulhu Editing."
• 550 on a new story that I started just to get some words going. It worked, but I'm not sure if I've enough enthusiasm to see this one through. Had a bunch of imagery that needed an outlet, but the story's pretty nebulous.


Published:
• "Daughter of Bòtú" in the August, 2008 issue of Realms of Fantasy. Yay! Actually, I don't think the issue's out yet (haven't received my contrib. copies). But I got to see an e-ARC. Happy shiny.

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On April 30th, 2008 06:50 pm (UTC), [info]newroticgirl commented:
Awwwww, who's the mayor of Sadtown? Hobkin is! (He needs a little sash and top hat.) :)
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On May 1st, 2008 02:33 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
I'm sure Hobkin would look very dapper in a top hat and sash. Getting them on him, however, would be the trick.
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On April 30th, 2008 07:46 pm (UTC), [info]biomekanic commented:
Man, does pic #2 ever bring back the memories of our skunks and bath time... the woe indeed.
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On May 1st, 2008 02:34 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
I wonder if there are any skunks out there who enjoy bath time? Maybe if the bath water is filled with bell peppers and raisins...
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On May 1st, 2008 04:28 pm (UTC), [info]biomekanic replied:
Or Japanese beetles and grasshoppers.
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On April 30th, 2008 07:50 pm (UTC), [info]j_cheney commented:
That reminds me....I need to wash the dog...
(He will look equally pathetic)

Edited at 2008-04-30 07:50 pm (UTC)
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On May 1st, 2008 02:36 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
There must be pictures! *clamor clamor clamor*
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On May 1st, 2008 03:21 pm (UTC), [info]j_cheney replied:
I'll try to comply... ;o)
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On April 30th, 2008 07:59 pm (UTC), [info]threeoutside commented:
hopelessly in love
with Hobkin. I swear, I'd run away with him in a heartbeat. WHAT a skunk!
Hope you gave him lots of kisses and pets once he'd dried off. Or...wait...does he *like* kisses and pets?

Anyway - he's got me wrapped around his little paw fo' sho'.

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On April 30th, 2008 11:51 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
Re: hopelessly in love
(Note to self: Hide skunk from Terry.) Hee! Most definitely, Hobkin's a total cuddle lump. He loves pettin's and kissin's. After his bath, he curled up with me on the couch under a comfy blanket and I finger-combed his fur dry...which took a couple hours 'cause his undercoat really retains water.
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On May 1st, 2008 01:35 am (UTC), [info]threeoutside replied:
Re: hopelessly in love
I'm sure he was quite patient with you.

lol

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On May 1st, 2008 12:21 am (UTC), [info]t_rex commented:
OMG, he is so cute. Even all grumpy like that.
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On May 1st, 2008 12:58 am (UTC), [info]noordinarywings commented:
skunk bath
Does you skunk poop in the bath tub when you're trying to give him a bath like ours does? It's such a pain...we fill the tub partway, put her in, she poops, so we have to take her out, clean it up, then try it again. I must say, though, that wet skunkie bath time pics are the funniest.
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On May 1st, 2008 03:19 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
Re: skunk bath
Hobkin has before, which was indeed a major pain. We ended up finishing his bath in the guest bathroom where we've got a second tub and cleaned up the first afterwards. But we've tried a couple things which seems to decrease the likelihood of that happening.

First, when we pick a "bath day," we wait until he's used the litter box before running his bath. He usually needs to use it when he wakes up from a nap, so I woke him about fifteen minutes before we wanted to get started. And after grumbling at me for disturbing his nap, he trundled off to use the pan. Hurray.

Next, we make sure the bath water is no hotter than lukewarm. We learned that something which can really distress animals is water which is too hot. Their skin is a lot more sensitive to heat than ours is, so what's a comfortable temperature to us can be painful for them. Cooler bath water seems to really decrease the stress levels.

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On May 1st, 2008 03:28 am (UTC), [info]sruna commented:
Cutest. Evar. :)
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On May 1st, 2008 03:34 am (UTC), [info]raebryant replied:
He looks about as happy with his bath as my Aussie did today. Very cute!
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On May 1st, 2008 10:28 am (UTC), [info]canadiansuzanne commented:
OMG! Dies of cute!

What a sweetie-pie. You must have had quite the fun bathing the little fuzzwitz!

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On May 1st, 2008 02:59 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
Well, "fun" isn't quite the word I'd use, but his cuteness outweighed his brattyness—this time. Come to think of it, Hobkin gets away with a lot on the power of his cute...
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On May 1st, 2008 12:46 pm (UTC), [info]reddherring1955 commented:
I also had Confederate Memorial Day off -- courthouse closed here in Bama. Nothing as thrilling as skunk-bathing, just goofed off most of the day. Funny thing, the Yankee postal service still delivered the mail, however.

Do you get Jeff Davis's b'day off, too? We do! Seems like it's a week or two past MLK day, which nearly coincides with REL's b'day as well. Very odd.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Realms issue. I've been looking for your story for the last couple of months. I can safely say that as of Sunday, the August issue of RoF was NOT available at our local B&N.

Are all the M2 books really gone?

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On May 1st, 2008 02:54 pm (UTC), [info]eugie replied:
Yah, I noticed we still got mail on Monday, too—which I was relieved to see, as I had outgoing stuff to post...

"Do you get Jeff Davis's b'day off, too?"

No! You get Jefferson Davis's birthday off?? Yowza. We do get Robert E. Lee's Birthday, though.

"I've been looking for your story for the last couple of months."

Awww, really? *huggles*

"I can safely say that as of Sunday, the August issue of RoF was NOT available at our local B&N."

I'm glad your local B&N carries RoF. The one over by us used to, but I haven't seen it there the last few times I checked. Hmmf.

"Are all the M2 books really gone?"

But not forgotten. There are probably still some stray titles floating around at various distributors and such, but the remaining Meisha Merlin stock (that which wasn't carted off last week) is gone. But don't despair. I think it's likely that we'll see some of the rescued stock at D*C.

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