Tuesday, November 08, 2011

I Smell A Rat!

'Funny the skills you accumulate over the course of a lifetime: driving a nail, mending a mitten, riding a horse, baking an apple pie, tap dancing, writing a blog.  Many of them you don't ever think about, but now and then a learned skill might catch your notice as something that sets you apart from the pack. 

In my case, being able to insert four fingers in my mouth and rip off a loud, shrill whistle has always seemed to me to be one of those things that elevates me to a place most girls don't get to.  It's good for calling a crowd to order or summoning a dog, not to mention the fact that people are impressed.

And although you often hear somebody say, "I smell a rat!",  I really can.  This doesn't happen very often, but yesterday, in the barn, there it was:  my nose, and the unmistakable aroma that falls somewhere between piss, vinegar and old sneakers.  I'd forgotten all about rat-smelling as part of my skill-set, but yup, sure enough, I, my friends, have it.

It's funny what life in the country can teach a girl.  And now I need to impart that knowledge to the cat.