Well equipped to protect himself from the skunk, my husband crept up on the trap, threw a sheet over it, and opened the latch. Then he waited. And waited. And waited. Tired of waiting, he propped open the trap door with several (salvaged) bricks and called it a night. Apparently the skunk had become used to his new quarters and was in no hurry to leave.
By the next morning the skunk had wandered off, having determined that no more broccoli was going to magically appear in the strange wire home he had so recently discovered. And so another wildlife saga comes to a denouement on Broad Street. Guess my husband will get to return to one of his favorite August pastimes–eating the peach crisp I just made him.
Speaking of peach crisps, I recently spent some time with my New England baking cookbook and found that in addition to peach crisp I could also make peach buckle, peach slump, peach cobbler and peach grunt. Apparently those cooks had to keep coming up with various ways to deal with the surplus of peaches that arrive at the end of summer. But I am sticking with the famous peach blueberry pie I mentioned earlier and the very simple peach crisp currently sitting on the kitchen counter.
I hope the woodchuck relocates himself. I hesitate to find out “what evil lurks in the heart” of my back yard waiting to walk into that trap.
Saved By Words 
Those peach recipes sound interesting. The only one I have heard of before is peach cobbler.
Best wishes, Pete.
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They seem to refer to the different types of topping and the thickness of each.
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I’m glad the skunk decided to leave peacefully and without the spraying of his perfume. And around here this time of year I’m making lots of blackberry cobbler! Should I be considering buckle, slump and grunt too? 🙂
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Absolutely. Wish we had those abundant blackberries here.
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I wonder if most skunks don’t like broccoli.
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Gosh, my mouth is watering with that peach crisp of yours.
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It is now 3/4 gone–and I haven’t had any!
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Haha!
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Thanks for finishing the story, Elizabeth. I had to know how this turned out. I expected a more dramatic ending, but I’m glad that your husband figured out a safe response for him and the skunk.
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I for one was glad it was not dramatic!
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Your husband is not only clever, but also very brave! I like skunks but couldn’t decide how to free one from a cage without a big stink. I will file this away in case I ever find myself in the same situation.
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He watched a YouTube video actually.
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So one day there might still be another chapter in the story of the skunk!
Meanwhile, though, I’m intrigued by all those peach recpies. Peach grunt?
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Odd name, but apparently authentic.
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We don’t have skunks here in Australia, so I found your story fascinating. Though wondering what a peach crisp is Elizabeth?
I did recognize the peach cobbler though 😀
Bless you,
Jennifer
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The crisp has a scattered topping of flour, sugar, butter and spice in a thin layer over a bed of peaches. Much less pastry that a cobbler. Some crisps use oatmeal in the topping.
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That sounds delicious Elizabeth!
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My father planted a peach pit in our backyard and forgot about it until one year the tree began to bear tight little fruits. In a couple of years I remember the adults “went crazy” chasing boys from stealing fruit from our yard as well as trying to make peach everything: preserves, brandy, cobblers, and homemade peach ice cream!🍑
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How fun.
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