Nearly skunked!

The garbage collection schedule in this neighborhood changed at the beginning of July. It used to be that garbage and recycling pickups were on Friday. Now, recycling is done on Friday, and regular garbage is collected on Tuesday. The collection, which used to be done some time in the late morning or early afternoon, now appears to be done very early in the morning. I had missed the last collection due to this change in schedule, so I headed out a few minutes ago with my bags. When I got to the curb, I apparently startled an animal that had been foraging through the home-owner's trash. As it ran off, I could see, even in the darkness, the distinct white stripe on the raised tail. I'm so lucky and grateful that this little predator didn't think me enough of a threat to spray me on his way out.