You ever notice that in almost every horror movie, the Lead Character always has to investigate a creepy darkened house, the spooky basement or deep into the haunted woods by themselves, even after witnessing all their friends being bludgeoned to death in some gruesome manner? I mean, how many of us have screamed at the TV or movie screen "Don't go in there, you idiot!"

Well, I have.

And that same warning was echoing in my head this morning.

Repeatedly.

And loudly, in fact.

Why? Well to let our dog out into the backyard, I have to pass through the garage. As we walked out early this morning, the harsh scratching sound of sharp nails on the wall snapped my bleary senses to to full attention.

"Not good", I think.

"Not a mouse either", I add.

"It's too loud...." I further summize.

Casey comes back into the garage and we quickly get inside the house. But curiosity got the better of me and I went back to take another look. The sound was in fact coming from outside, along the flower bed at the side of the house.

So what, in my infinite wisdom do I do?

Yeah, I walk outside in bare feet and PJs to see if I can locate the culprit. But before I see it, I can SMELL it.

A skunk. Figures; it's garbage day.

Ignoring the voice screaming

"What the hell are you DOING? Are you that stupid?"

inside my head, I CONTINUE to investigate. Tiptoeing along the side of the house, I strain to glimpse the telltale black and while striped varmint.

However, once the bush in the flowerbed began to rustle, I was back inside the house in a flash.

The Lead Character is safe once again.