9/16/08 Close Enounter of the Striped Kind

I was walking home tonight after dark and under a full moon. I passed lots of people, so it wasn't too late. Or maybe it was late enough to be out when lots of other late night walkers were out. It's only 8 tenths of a mile from my office to The Verandah (which is how I now refer to the whole dwelling place including the verandah) and I was on the last tenth of a mile (all uphill). In the shadows by a fence between two houses I saw something moving and then I saw its shadow in the full moonlight and thought, "Oh a kitty cat!" Before I could call out "Here kitty kitty kitty," I figured out that there was a really big white stripe down the back of that "kitty". Eeegads! A skunk! Right here in civilization! Of course, I am pretty close to a big woods and there's not much about Farmington that isn't right on the border of rural. And skunks live in big cities as well as in the country due to encroachment. But this was as close to a live skunk as I've ever been and it was too close. I crossed the street and picked up my pace. I saw a shooting star and that was cool. As I looked back down from that, I swear a shadowy animal was crossing the street and went into my driveway. It did NOT have the silhouette of a cat or a dog, but I don't know what it was since I just caught a glimpse of it. In Dallas you could carry a whistle or mace and you knew you could 911 if you had any kind of encounter. What do you carry for protection from wildlife?