The air held a nip last Thursday night,
 'Twas a full moon on the rise.
An eve just made for mischief,
Of the nature that's not always wise.

Now, my kin in the Cora Valley 
Were more than a wee bit stressed,
By an unwanted guest in the tack room,
And its habit of being a pest.

Six weeks of lazy marauding,
And things didn't smell just right.
The choice was clearly black and white,
The boarder must leave tonight!

We gathered our crew and our courage
And strategically plotted our route.
Made a pact to pay close attention,
To what this skunkbusting's all about.

"We'll get this skunk in hand," I sang,
"Before this night is done."
"It's "scents"less to worry," I added. 
"I promise we're gonna have fun!"

So, we cautiously wrangled ol' Flower
To a corner of no retreat, 
Then struck with the speed of a rattlesnake
And cheered at the skunk's de"feet."

Her fate was quickly determined,
The vote tallied six to one.
This "pet" was a lucky varmint, indeed,
And would see yet another sun.

But, still, 'twas one nagging de"tail" 
Of which we were clinging to;
So we bounded to nearby creek bank
And t'ward the night "Miss Kitty" flew.

She fell short of my best projection, 
One pace from the distant shore.
Would she sink or swim, we wondered,
Or would she return for more?

Well, Flower now sleeps in the meadow, 
Dreaming of future things,
And I'm bettin' my kinfolk will see her again, 
When they're digging out hay next spring!
 

The Pearson Angus Ranch is located approximately 2 miles northwest of Daniel, and 11 miles west of Pinedale, Wyoming. Cris can be reached by e-mail at: cowgirl@wyoming.com.

Copyrights: Photos and page text content copyrighted, Cris Paravicini, 2000. No part may be reproduced without permission of the author/photographer. Page graphics copyrighted, Pinedale Online, 2000.