Solving the Skunk Dilemma

Ok...what do you do when a mama skunk and 4 babies have invaded your space?

Here's what the Internet says...
1. Moth balls will do the trick but they're a known carcenogen so don't put them where you can smell them.
2. Rags soaked in fox urine.
3. Light...constant light

After researching this, and trying the mothballs...(since I couldn't locate any fox urine), I can scientifically tell you that skunks could care less about my $15.00 worth of cancer causing moth balls.

So...on to the local bar to ask the locals about what I should do. Here's my choices there:
1. Harvest the babies...they're worth $500 each on the open market as pets..Get Rich!
2. Shoot the sucker, but be ready for a mighty big stink.
3. Go look in the Sand Castle subdivision for Perry. He's the one waving the whole chicken over his head lookin' for gators. He'd probably be willin' to catch the skunk.

No...none of these were viable options...I might have gone the gator catching route but couldn't find anyone swinging chickens over their head.

All I want is for her to relocate. Just take the babies and head on into the culvert system where we know that the skunks exist and we deal with that.

So, I scatter more moth balls, and what does Mama Skunk do? Laughs at me, as I awake to a whole NEW burrow she'd created during the night. Not only did she create another foot high mound, but she'd gone through the yard and dug up fist sized holes looking for grubs while she was at it.

So...we cover up the other two holes she'd dug...scattered what was left of our ineffective moth balls and turn on the hose aimed at the new burrow.

I must say, for as many times as she's been deluged with water, she sure has handled it well. She retrieved all four skunk babies, and this time carried all four of them two houses away. All the while I watched...and waited and thought to myself...whew! At least they're not next to me anymore.

I decided to go on with my day...got the kids and went to the beach. When I returned from the beach, I was sitting down under the house...just a mere 5 or 6 yards away from the skunk burrow, when what did I see???? MAMA SKUNK!!

At this point I'm open for suggestions...just none that involve fox urine or swinging chickens!

New Beach Neighbors

So...what happens when your 13 year old laments..."I'm bored?" And Mom says....lets put water in that new critter hole..and see what comes out!" Just your run of the mill typical beach drama...

Wainwright Photo Stream

The Boys' got Talent

Con-Man and Brother participated in a talent show today. We created a video to show the "raw" talent. They rocked out to "We Will Rock You".

The Ugarook (bearded seal)

It was cold yesterday and I was still in bed. Asleep. Dreaming. You know, warm cozy in bed asleep, dreaming, when my Grandma comes and pulls the covers off and says excitedly “Eddie’s dad Jim caught an ugarook [a bearded seal]! Come out of bed I want you to take pictures. Tell me when he starts cutting it.” By the time I’m out the door Eddie’s there outside swinging. “Hey JDn [that’s my nickname JD- n] come swing?” I love Eskimo accents they’re so cool I wish I had one. I’m jealous because Eddie has one and he’s just a kid. I wanted one ever since I found out there even was such a thing.“Sure.” I made my way over to his house across the street when this “glassily” odor about makes my eyes water. I turned around to see Eddie’s dad start cutting the ugarook. I took pictures of the ugarook and Eddie. Later on my favorite dog, Rosco, comes walking to us with her master. The horribly bad part about Rosco is that she’s blind in her right eye! Why? Because someone went up to her and shot her with a Beebee gun?! Soon they left and Grandma’s over and Jim has the guts out with what looks like there is a squid inside. The closer you got the stronger the smell. After 2 days he has it almost done all he needs now is to get the blubber off the ugarook skin. He already has the meat outside at the back of the house to dry and turn into beef Jerky (ugarook jerky).

Nalukatuk #2

Today was basically the same thing (as Monday’s Nalukatuk) but after the blanket toss and the candy we had Eskimo dancing. It was amazingly the same thing, the women would bob up and down by bending their knees and move their arms like they’re swimming, and the men would stomp their feet to the beat of the drums, and move their arms. The drums were made of seal skin for the surface wood formed in a circle for the seal skin to hold on to. And for the drum sticks they use a thin stick with duck tape on the top and bottom of the stick so it won’t split in two. They hit that and sing in Eskimo while the men and women go to a specific area and dance. The purpose of dancing is to show how brave you are. Grandma says the men love to do that.

Yesterday was the Nulukatuk

A Nalukatuk is the celebration of catching whales. You go to a specific place and you pray, then people sing. Then people serve duck soup, bread, and Eskimo donuts. Then the people throw candy for the little kids.

After that, it gets boring because you’re just supposed to sit there until they all run out of food. (I knew I should have brought my I-pod.) We sat on wood with a tarp that kept the wind from us, which made my white pants become brownish gray. We decided to come back for the blanket toss. We all came back at 7 but the blanket wasn’t up yet so all the little kids came in and out of the tarp. Then the blanket was up then down then up then down again. Then finally it was up, up to your eyes I would say. It was awesome.

Old people would get on it with bags filled with candy and rip a hole in it and send the candy flying. Me and everyone would scavenge to the ground for the candy. After about 5 times of that anyone was able to go on.

I was the 4th to go on. I went the highest. It was hard to go back down because the blanket was doing the worm and you were supposed to balance on it and go back up. I only did it 3 times. Then we went home. There’s another one tomorrow I’m gonna do Eskimo dancing too. Talk to ya then. Layni

What Do Mom's Know...Here's the REAL Story

You’ll never believe what I’m about to tell you so please write back immediately. Ok, ok yesterday I saw a real live polar bear! I’m tell in ya it was amazing I was walking with my friends when a guy drove up to us and said ‘There’s a POLAR BEAR on beach at the ice! Before I could think of what to do next my friends were running there. By then my grandma and grandpa were walking this way. I screamed ‘THERE’S A POLAR BEAR ON THE BEACH ICE, COME QUICK!’ With that all I heard was the pounding of my feet on the gravel and my heart. It was awesome me and my friends went down to the water to get a closer look. We skipped rocks and screamed so the bear would come our way. After that a guy in a truck cussed us out for trying to get the polar bears attention. Quote: ‘You CRAZY the polar bear is faster than you get off the beach before it comes after you!’ End quote. Grandma got a few pictures I hope the internet works so Grandma can send some pictures that’s all for now bye.

I Almost got Chased by a Polar Bear!

The big news this morning is that a polar bear was spotted on the beach eating leftovers from whale butchering. So, what did we do? Headed for the beach....however, before my friends and I could get there, we were screamed at by an angry man in a pick up truck. He told us NOT to go down there, that the polar bear could run WAY faster than we could. So...we never got to see the polar bear. And now I know, when looking for bears...... don't. They run FAST.

(posted by mom for Layni)

I Met Some Friends

Yesterday I met 10 friends; they all wanted to visit. Their names were Nelly; Desandra, James, Rosy, Eddie, Lee, Ronald, George, and David. Their ages were from 14-4. There were more boys than girls. It was fun, after everyone left our house, we all went to a 4 way street, and played tag. Then it turned into throwing rock tag. Soon someone spit on someone and it was spit tag, but someone told their mom and everyone ran. It ended up with me and Eddie jumping on Eddie’s Granma and Grandpa’s trampoline until 10pm your time it’s 1am. I want to stay out later but G-ma says no.

Compilation from Layni

It snowed and snowed last week.. Also after it snowed the streets were buzzing with snowmobiles. The road soon became nothing but mushy snow and a lot of mud. It is better now, with warm weather - up to 60 and 65.

Today me and grandma went walking in 40* [with wind YIKE’S].As we were walking we saw a Marten [it’s a squirrel looking thing, it has a hump towards the back. It’s a little squirrel compared to the ones in Texas. Editor’s note: Locals say this is not a marten, but a ground squirrel. We sent pictures already.

Here in Wainwright almost everyone has a dog, except they all have their dog chained up outside. If they were lucky they would have a dog house. There’s this one dog that looks like Beethoven. I don’t know his name so I call him Beethoven the 4th. And Roscoe is a female dog that we really like. We have petted her.

Grandma and I counted 14 trampolines, but we’re puzzled on how they get them up here? It cost a lot just to buy a trampoline; a whole other story is the cost of shipping it all the way up here.

I'm Bored

Well, it's cold and it snowed a few days ago and it was 4 inches. On my way here I counted 49 airplanes including the planes I flew in. In Wainwright, I counted 9 trampolines - we dont have one. I wish we did though. Sigh. My Grandma keeps me going. Sometimes she makes me go outside even though I dont want to. The best part is the cafe. I know Allisa,Sally, and Ramond. They all work there and I really like them.



Here's a picture of Sally.

Pictures from Layni

Here's the best we could do with SLOW dial up access from Wainwright. I think you'll get the gist though...


The long black pieces are baleen, taken from the latest baleen whale kill. Click here for another image.


The second picture has her wearing a traditional Inupiat parka.

Wainwright Day One

Last night I ate caribou stew. Two whole helpings. I like it, but I didn't like the mooseberries. They were too sour.

This morning we got on a small plane patched together with tape and glue and flew to Wainwright.

There are no trees...and the ocean is FROZEN. There are dried up star fish washed up on the beach.

I might really stink by the time I get out of here. We have a bathtub but no shower curtain, and NO washing machine to wash our clothes in. Grandma says she'll have to do our laundry in the sink! No only do we not have a shower curtain, or a washing machine, we don't have a TV, or a car. And no internet access here at our house. Even Grandma says she wants a TV.

Grandpa says the villiage has already caught two whales and that we'll be here for the big celebration.

Fallen into the Black Hole of NO ACCESS

The last communication I had from Layni was last night at 12:09 AM...our time. She was in Barrow, Alaska, and was at the home of a family friend, Rex and Leona Okakok. She could NOT believe that they had a TV, an XBox and Guitar Hero!!

She told me that it was cold, and that it snowed a few snowflakes as they got off the plane.

Today, however, they took the small bush plane to Wainwright....and hence, she's fallen into the black hole of ....??? What did we do BEFORE cell phones and texting??? Will I have to resort to WRITING a letter?

Please Internet Access gods....please send her some connectivity. I've not gone 2 hours without a text message from Layni since she got her phone!

You Tube of the Downstairs Composting toilet

This is the builder explaining how he built the composting toilet.

The Recycling Toilets

You will never believe me if I told you. Cindee's house is weird when it comes to the bathrooms! The top floor bathroom you pull the lid up until it touches the button, then the toilet makes this changing cat litter sound. The weirdest part is once your hiney touches the seat the thing inside the toilet opens.If you do number 2 in the upstairs toilet you have to clean it out.{ basically the toilets are porta-potties} Once you put the lid off the button the toilet makes the cat litter sound again which means its spinning the wee wee out .{ the top floor only allows pee}.

The bottom bathroom is another story. If you need to go number 1, you have to sit close to the edge of the seat if you have to do more than that, you have to put your whole bottom on the seat. {after you do your job, you have to scoop svagnumos (Sphagnum Moss) it adds bacteria that breaks down the solids... its also worm food}Also all the food scraps go down the toilet.

(The picture to the left was added by my mom...and no it's not really what the toilet looks like....it's the 1876 rendition of the same thing)...

It's Time to do Something Different

We've been part-time residents of the Bolivar Penninsula for 13 years now. Much longer than I'd say quite a few of the now residents of CB.



For those that know me, I'm not one to really tell you what I think, unless asked, but also know that I stand up for what I believe in. So...

To all of you who visit the Bolivar Texas beaches....both visitors and property owners:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Manners your mother obviously never taught you.

1. Clean up after yourself.
   
2. Throw all of your trash in the TRASH can.
   
3. When you borrow something, return it in the same condition.
   
4. Nothing comes for free. Someone ultimately pays for it.
   
5. Don't take advantage of the system. That's just UNFAIR.

Two years ago, my daughters and I chronicled the various sand castles that were built on our beach during the summer of 2006. This year, we think we're going to chronicle something much different. The BIGGEST MESSES left on our Beach, 2008.

Today, after the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, it was clear that CB came through and emptied our beach trash cans over night, in anticipation for the new crowd that would stake out the beach today. In just the few minutes that I was on the beach looking at the leftover devastation from the visitors yesterday, three golf carts circled three different trash cans, BRINGING their trash generated at THEIR BEACH HOUSE to the BEACH!! What does this matter, you may ask? Well, one gentleman had 5 bags of trash, of which 2 fit in the trash can. The other 3 were left on the ground. This was at 8:15 AM. Where is the rest of the trash going to go during the course of the day for the new batch of beach goers? You guessed it. ON THE GROUND.

My message is...follow the rules your mother SHOULD have taught you. PLEASE. If you own property, PAY for GARBAGE PICK UP. If you are going to borrow our beaches, CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF.

LaM's First Post

I'm going to Wainwright, AK. Keep up with my adventures here.

Layni's Ordeal...Turned Triumph..An Update

Yesterday Layni came home from school distraught because she'd lost her science review sheet in gym. When I asked her why she had it in gym, she said, " because I wanted to study during my spare time..." Ok.. how noble...but then she was in a pickle. She came up with several plans (outlined in the email to the teacher below, of which none panned out. Read the email I sent to the teacher...and then view her video diary about what happened to her today...

Ms. Pierce:

Layni came home from school saying she'd lost her review for the test. So...I asked her what she should do. Her response was to see if it was on your FBISD page. Guess what? Our internet access was down. Plan 2....go to my son's house to use his internet access....turns out we have the same provider...so on to plan 3...to the library...unfortunately the library was CLOSED.

So....I'm asking for special dispensation...we tried...we really did, and Layni can't afford to fail.

Thanks for taking this under advisement....

Sandra McCubbin
(sent from my wireless)