So, I planned to sleep in today. Did I? No, of course not.
The rain has been pouring out of the sky like someone with a huge bucket is up there bailing like a maniac. It’s been non-stop for hours. Woke me up, woke Hobkin up. So Hobkin sprawled on my lap while I did a little end-of-year bookkeeping.
In 2002, I spent $190 on postage, marketing my writing. That’s an almost 100% increase from my postage expenses last year. Yikes. Okay, I nearly doubled the number of manuscripts I have in circulation, but also, I’ve been trying to submit more to markets that accept electronic submissions in order to save on postage. Guess that last USPS rate hike in July really hurt. Wow.
Well, it’s all tax deductible.
To cheer myself up, I followed Hobkin around with the digicam.
First off, I bribed him with an “Apple Pupover.”
There’s a business that had a little booth at the mall for the holiday season this year called “Brown Dog Barkery”. We saw them, were curious–being always on the lookout for new treats for Hobkin–and glanced over the ingredients of these folks’ dog biscuits.
Apple Pupover ingredients: whole wheat and white flours, rolled oats, apple, vegetable oil and whole eggs.
Wow. Very wholesome. So we bought a 1/2 lb bag. And Hobkin loves them!
It put him in a better mood for the camera.
Doesn’t his face look sweet in this one?
And here his rugged profile . . .
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
did you have to get a license to own hobkin?
we’re thinking of getting a prairie dog.
Nope. In Georgia, pen-raised (domestic) skunks are legal to own as pets without a permit or license as long as they are not black and white. There are other states that require some sort of paperwork, though. Like I believe all colors are legal in Florida, but they do require a permit.
As we’ve found when we owned ferrets and now Hobkin, it pretty much depends on the state. I would assume that’s the case with other “exotics” like prairie dogs.
Why is black and white not legal, out of curiousity?
I believe it’s so that animal control people can tell the difference between a wild skunk and a pet one in Georgia since the other colors are extremely rare (and in some cases non-existent) in the wild.
It’s kinda weird, actually. I think Georgia is the only state with that particular restriction. Usually it’s either an all or nothing sort of dealie.
what a lovely baby you have!
and yes, very sweet face 😉
merry christmas to him and you both…
Thank you! And Hobkin thanks you too.
He has the sweetest face ever!!! (And is he getting even more plump?)
Y’all have a wonderful holiday…
He does have a rather round look about him, doesn’t he? Ah well, he and I can go on a New Year’s diet in a couple weeks together
. But until then, Christmas cookies galore! (And Apple Pupovers galore!)
You have a wonderful holiday too!
there’s a farscape marathon on scifi?????????
wooohoooo
Yes indeedy! All day long, I believe. Nothing says the day before Christmas like Farscape! Or something like that . . .
::jealous::
Oh, I want a kid like yours!
Hee! Hobkin sends virtual skunk hugs and nose nips (damn, we really need to train him to give kisses instead) to his admiring Aunt Ashley.
Awww!!
I’m so glad I don’t want REAL kids, I want to focus time and attention on amazing loving animals, that DONT grow up to hate my guts 😉
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! (again, for the 500th time). I WANT A SKUNK!!!
Heh. Hobkin is getting himself a fan club!
*overloads on Cuteness!*
He’s just adorable in those pics!
Hope you n Hobkin had a great Christmas together!
Re: *overloads on Cuteness!*
Thanks! Hope you had (are having) a fabulous holiday season as well!
How long have you owned Hobkin? Are skunks expensive to buy and care for? And has he been de-musked?
I’ve never owned a skunk, but during college I did have a blond stripe dyed into my hair.
We got Hobkin at the end of May this year. He’s still a young skunk. And yes, he most definitely has been de-scented. He’d be a rather scary sort of an indoor pet if he hadn’t been! All pet skunks are de-scented when they’re still babies.
Expensive to buy? I think they’re on par with the cost of a ferret kit, in that range thereabouts, depending on the breeder etc. And to care for, the vet bills are pretty close to what one would expect for a cat. He needs annual vaccination shots and we had him fixed when he was 12 weeks old. The food costs are a bit higher though as we feed Hobkin human grade food from the grocery store–fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, rice ‘n beans, that sort of thing. We spend around $60 a month on food for him. That may go down as he’s getting a bit plump and needs to go on a diet, plus his growth is slowing (skunk kittens grow at a phenomenal rate) and as he enters into his adult years he’ll need fewer calories.
hi, i know you dont know me, and i dont usually comment in randomness like this, but i saw the skunk pictures and couldnt resist.
he’s so adorable! it brought back alot of memories of when i was little and my parents had a skunk. =)
thanks.
-dana
Hi! Pleased to meet you. You had a pet skunk when you were little? Neat! We only recently discovered skunks as pets. And we’re so glad we did.
If you’d like to see more pix of Hobkin, there are a lot more on my website: Musta-lay-day Grove.
Happy New Year!
yeah, theyre absolutely wonderful pets. if i had the cance and the space to get one of my own i would in a heartbeat.
-sqeals- Hobkin’s so adorable!
And a Happy New Year to you also! =)
i hope you dont mind i added you to my list of friends.
-dana
“i hope you dont mind i added you to my list of friends“
I certainly don’t mind, and I’ve added you back
.