Funkweiler, skunks, non-restful days of rest, and sharpies

Vernon P. Funkweiler made his Austin debut this week! And I think he finally found a place where he fits in. He's the one of the right. And who knew that Sammie would end up working with a guy who plays guitar and owns the same black afro wig? Some might call that serendipity. Others might call it something much different.

And here's Funkweiler, who did all of the vocals for the 4-song set and earned huge applause from the crowd (all Dell employees...)
And now it's time for our Texas Rodent Update. We've noticed that a critter has been digging in our garden. Sammie set a trap last night in the bushes right underneath our dining room window. He woke up this morning, expecting to find a possum. We've seen possums on our back porch at night and they're pretty common around here. He was shocked to, instead, see a skunk caught in the trap! After some desperate phone calls, we thought to call a friend from the ward who owns some guns, has a pickup, and seemed like he'd know how to take care of the situation. He and Sammie were total cowboys. They had a blast figuring out how to dismantle the dining room window, shoot the skunk, then quickly shut the window so the spray wouldn't get in the house. It only took one shot. (Sorry all you PETA supporters! But let's hear your better plan for getting rid of a skunk in your bushes on a Sunday morning!) Before he died, the skunk sprayed. Fortunately, not too much of the smell got in the house, but our garage and back and front yards still smell pretty bad!
While the cowboys were holding a hunting party in our dining room, the RS President called to let me know that there was no 5th Sunday meeting planned for today and we would have to figure out something to do for the 3rd hour of church. While I was on the phone with her, the Primary President called to ask if I would come into Primary to talk about our experience going to the temple with Boo. And during all of this, I was trying to glaze the cheesecake I stayed up late last night making for Sammie's birthday. It was a wonderful day of rest!
I left first for church so I could pick up a friend. When I got there, I sent Sammie a text message to let him know where we were sitting. He responded that Boo had gone in the backyard and started playing with the skunk trap, which was out there airing out, and smelled like a skunk. Sammie was able to get most of the smell out with a good bath, vigorous scrubbing, and baking soda. But Boo was so worn out after all that drama, he fell asleep and both he and Sammie missed all three hours of church. Shortly after the bath, Sammie walked into Phoebe's room and found a huge stinky pile on the floor. When it rains it pours!
It all turned out okay. I went to the store after church to get some air fresheners (the ox wasn't in the mire, but the skunk was in the trap!). Boo and Sammie both had great naps. We had a yummy dinner of steak, corn, and watermelon. And the cheesecake turned out awesome!!!

One last disaster story...
While Sammie was away on business last week, I sent him an email with the subject line, "Take a deep breath before you read this" and included this picture.

Don't miss the purple sharpie on his cheek. That kid is fast and in the few moments that I wasn't paying attention, he got it on two couches, one ottoman, one armchair, two throw pillows, two different walls, one window sill, two different spots on the carpet, one toy and, of course, his face and clothes. Thank heaven for magic eraser, rubbing alcohol and good carpet cleaner! Sammie will need to touch up the paint just a little in two spots and if you look really closely at the right spot on the carpet in really strong sunlight, you'll still see some purple. Other than that, the crisis has been contained and all sharpie markers in the house are WELL out of Boo's reach.