I am thankful for Denise, at Girlie on the Edge for hosting a blog hop, called Six Sentence Stories, each week where I can practice writing a short story. She gives us plenty of leeway, so bloggers who prefer to write a little poetry, a ditty, or a musing can do that instead, as long as it is only six sentences and uses the prompt word. Vent is the cue word this time.
Select the link to take a few minutes to read what other bloggers have shared. Feel free to accept the challenge. The more the merrier.
The smell of the upcoming mint fields being harvested overpowered the strong odors of manure and silage from the large dairy farm that they had just passed.
She and her siblings shifted uncomfortably on the hot sticky clear vinyl plastic-covered seats of the old farm truck as their dad headed toward the feed store at the edge of town. They kept quiet as their dad listened intently to the latest farm report on the staticky radio. The windows were rolled down to let in a breeze, although there was little to be had.
A large truck loaded with bales of hay came around the bend in the two-lane road which was barely wide enough for both vehicles. Unfortunately, there was no room for their dad to dodge a recognizable black and white blob on the hot pavement and even less time for them to try to crank the windows closed and shut the vents to keep out the musky scent.
I was working on window vent as a use, but figured I'd be the only one old enough to remember what they were!!
ReplyDeleteI remember them. Great for flicking ashes out the vent.
DeleteI once had the displeasure of accumulating skunk odor on my car. It was awful. And it sure stays with you a long time. My friend had to wash her dog in tomato juice to rid her of the stink, and guess what happened to the bathroom when the dog shook it off? You nailed the experience of riding in a hot car, on sticky seats.
ReplyDeleteDid you have to have your car professionally cleaned to get rid of the skunk smell?
DeleteWe used to have a dog that seemed to have no fear of a little skunk family in the neighborhood. The tomatoes juice recipe didn't do a very good job of removing the odor. If I remember right, we had to bathe him three different times (three different encounters). We stocked up on hydrogen peroxide after the second spraying. Here is a recipe from the Humane Society. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/de-skunking_dog.html. This recipe seemed to do a much better job.
A sadder experience from a fellow employee years ago was the family of skunks that got under her house. She had a horrible time finding someone who would come remove them. The smell permeated her house and clothes, etc., and she still had to keep working. Everyone knew when she entered the office just from the smell of her clothes. It was horribly embarrassing for her.
Oh, well told! It felt like i was along for the ride. Yes, sometimes you just cannot dodge, and that stink seems to never go away.
ReplyDeleteThey are kind of cute little animals, but you don't won't to scare them, or run over them. :-/
Deletethose triangular vents, right? lol totally remember those (and the smells of a dairy farm, which I pass on occasion out here.)
ReplyDeleteHey, you 'do smell' really well in your Sixes.*
*someone beyond the maturity level of a 6th grader might have referred to the engaging and visceral quality of your Six Sentence Stories. But, then again... lol
I wonder when they stopped making those triangular vents? It seems to be a case of "here today, gone tomorrow." I'm guessing with the improvements in heating systems in cars and then of course with the advent of air conditioning, the those kind of vents were not needed.
DeleteSmelling really well in my Sixes. LOL
You've created a scene right out of my childhood summers in the Midwest, Pat! Those plastic seats were miserable if you were wearing shorts on a hot day, and windows open was the only AC we had. We come across the occasional dead skunk on the road here, and the scent is overwhelming for a few miles. However, we had a mama skunk and babies that used to come and eat dry catfood on our deck at night (until I moved it up out of their reach after nearly stepping on one getting out of the hot tub in the dark!) Never once did she leave any scent, but we were very careful not to surprise her!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness! Almost stepping on a skunk in the dark after getting out of the hot tub, would make me scream, but I probably wouldn't for fear of instigating fear in the skunk and then worse.
DeleteLeaving food on a porch or the ground for pets isn't a good idea here either for the same reason. Even pet doors can invite trouble.
I'm guessing this was a memory of yours, right? You captured the event very well!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristi. The story wasn't a particular memory, unless you know of another sibling of mine. :-) This is just pulling out many things from my life to combine them into a SSS.
DeleteYour 6 is incredibly....real! right from the get go with the wafting aroma of mint and ending with one of the most unmistakable and worst smells ever lol
ReplyDeleteClear vinyl, plastic covered seats and roll down windows - I remember these things well. Can't say I miss crank windows :)
Very enjoyable SSS.
Thanks. Those roll down, or up, windows sometimes would just get stuck, especially if you were in a hurry.
DeleteI could never understand how cattle could think that silage tasted good. The smell is awful, imo.