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My apartment complex has always had a skunk problem.

With lots of people leaving out cat food and garbage at night, the skunks find this place irresistible. They move in, raise families, and generally go on about their lives by the glow of the parking lot lights.

Just a few minutes ago, though, one wandered up onto my patio. Jaws thinks that the skunks are cats, and she is always hissing at them. This one was no exception; she went to the screen door and hissed through the mesh at it. The skunk, curious, was nose-to-nose with her through the screen when I went to investigate.

Light scares the skunks away. Just flick on the porch light or shine a flashlight at them, and they scurry off into the night. But what if it had sprayed? Through the screen, into my apartment??

Ick.

I've seen neighborhood kids throwing rocks at skunks or taking Super Soakers to them. These are the geniuses that live alongside me.

Hmph. It's a beautiful night, but I just shut the door. The skunk came back, and Jaws was hissing at it again.

The complex used to trap the skunks and carry them off somewhere, but they haven't done that lately. With the abundance of food around here, the skunk population has exploded. We have cats, but the cats tend to "set off" the skunks. Result: one smelly cat and one safe skunk.

Oh well. It's a bit like having some nature in your backyard, knowing that the skunks are around. And I'd rather have skunks than raccoons. Raccoons are too smart; they can figure out how to get into a house if they want to get in there. Skunks just forage for what's lying around, while raccoons go looking for the best tidbits.

The Health Department is coming tomorrow. Good thing I've kept up on the dishes! I checked both of the smoke detectors, since I can be fined if they aren't working. I'll have to take out the trash, though, since it's getting a bit out of control.