skunked! ...and more

My roommate from prep school of 4-years, Barbara, came up Wednesday for a three-day visit. She brought her golden retriever, Gabby, with her for the visit. It was the second time Gabby had been here...but this trip proved to be a bit more eventful. The first night, Gabby met the neighborhood skunk around 10 PM. Within minutes we were bathing Gabby with shampoo, then diluted dog shampoo, then baking soda and warm water. We think the best combination turned out to be Dawn dishwashing liquid and vinegar mixed together; Gabby got that Friday evening, and smells soooo much better.

I used the propane oven in the Palace Annex for the first time to cook a couple Moravian chicken pies for B's first night here. I also got the Palace bookshelves and computer desk primed and painted... it all looks great!

While Barbara was here, we did the following:

• cooked veggies from B's garden;
• actually let Gabby out of the Palace when she started barking the first night, thinking she'd stay on the deck and see what was out and about;
• rushed outside to check on Gabby when her barking revealed she'd left the deck, saw white foam around her mouth, and smelled the skunk oder immediately;
• bathed Gabby to get the skunk oil off her at 10 PM the first night;
• left the skunky towels outside on the drying rack to air them out;
• finished organizing the carport;
• watched "Mr. Holland's Opus" while it rained and we ate nachos (2nd time I'd used the oven!)
• borrowed movies from H and L to watch;
• bathed Gabby again, trying to mitigate the skunk smell;
• relaxed in the Jefferson Pool for 40 minutes - and my rib moved back into place;
• went to Hidden Valley Recreational Area to traipse around the Jackson River with Gabby;
• visited Pam and Ron at their Hidden Valley Bed & Breakfast and got fresh eggs there for Saturday's breakfast;
• had pizza and salad at Jason's, sitting outside with Gabby;
• put together my new gas grill until we saw the main component was dented in and the unit will have to be returned - phooey!
• bathed Gabby, still hoping to de-skunk that sweet dog!
• visited with Diz when he stopped by;
• cooked a super omelet with B's veggies and Pam's fresh eggs!
  
  It's been great having company on my 7 Acre Wood. Next weekend it's possible I may have two more NC guests. That would be awesome!