What are the odds?

Went for my run today.

Ran yesterday.

Pretty good after taking a week off.

Today - hips hurting.

Laced up anyway.

Stretched.

Started walking.

Minding my own business.

Walking with the wind.

Get ready to pick up the pace, and what do you think I see up ahead on the road?

A Buzzard.

He was pretty busy with something on the side of the road. 

I kept walking.

As I got closer, I was pretty sure he was busy with something black, and I was pretty sure it was not a cat.

Crap.

I picked up the pace to a jog after grabbing a rock off the side of the road.

As I got closer, a car drove by. 

He flew off. 

As I passed, it definitely was not a cat.

I gasped for some fresh air, and picked up the pace a little.

I was now down wind.

Surprisingly, it did not last long, and it was not that bad.

About a 100 yards up, what do you think I saw?

What are the odds that two skunks were run over on the same road in the same night?

Lucky me.

This one had two buzzards. 

Another car went buy and they flew off.

I was sort of stuck between two stinky places.

Not much benefit from turning around at this point.

I made it past the second skunk.

Whew!!!

Way worse than the first one!

Running...not jogging!

Now, a number of scenarios ran through my brain. 

• Keep running and get to a point that I thought was my usual distance, then call someone to come give me a ride home?
• Suck it up and do my usual route.
• Repeat first option.

I went back to that first option several times.  I just didn't want to cheat myself out of any distance.
Not wanting to be a sissy, I stuck with my usual route.  When I reached my turnaround point, the wind was full on in the face and strong.  Luckily, I was on the downside of a little hill and the smell was going above me.

I pushed on.

As I came upon the first barrier between me and home, the smell was absolutely ridiculous.  The buzzards were still at work.  I just started yelling at them.

Hey!

Hey-Hey-Hey!

Every time I yelled, they stopped ripping the thing apart.  For some reason, I felt this was a benefit.  It was already smelling pretty juicy, but I just kept picturing something really foul popping open as I got closer.  I tried to cross the road to the other side, but once I got over there the smell almost made me vomit.  The wind had a slight angle making that side of the road worse.  I quickly crossed back and decided to run at the thing full on. 

Passing the first one was not as bad as I thought.  I just tried to not look down.

yuck.

The second one was a very different story.  The Buzzard working on that one was working alone.  Since he had no one to battle over the carcass with him, he had aggressively reached the nastiest parts.  I yelled at him, too.

Hey!

Hey-Hey-Hey!

Heeeyyyyy!

I don't know if anyone was outside.  If they were, they were probably wondering a lot of things about me.

I did not care.

I really thought I was going to lose it on the second one.  Once again - RUNNING!

After I made it passed the second skunk, I started contemplating what to do tomorrow.  Which route?  What do I do?  Go to the High School?  Run the track?  If I head the other direction on my street, there is a huge, long hill!  I am not ready for that hill.  I just knew there was no way I could stomach that again until those things were gone.

Got home.

Cut five minutes off my time from yesterday.

My time from yesterday...best time since I started.

This is quite the quandary.

A damn dilemma.

I need some help.

Maybe someone in that little north-west neighborhood could help me out?

You know?

Go scoop 'em up and get rid of them for me?

Bill?

Kurt?

E. J.?

Anybody?

Can a girl get a little help here?

Please?

Pretty Please?




P.S.  You know what the Man in Charge said?

"Well.  At least now you know you can do it."