From your coutry cousin in PA .... about once a month in the "open window season" - no we don't have AC in this old farmhouse - we are awakened at night by the unmistakable smell of a skunk strolling through the yard. Time to turn the fans on exhaust or spritz with air freshener to fall back asleep. I say strolling through, because we don't have any lawn damage from them digging for grubs in the lawn.
Which brings me to 2010 Summer Smell Story II. Seems a young ground hog had been munching off my cone flower leaves and flowers in the front flower bed. Mr Farmer was advised to trap or otherwise dispatch the interloper. Mr. Farmer did so a few days later by shooting the GH cleanly through the porch railing posts. Impressive. However .... the little fellow made it into his hole under the front porch & beyond reach. I got one of those "good news/bad news" stories when I came home. About 2 days later things were heating up out front! Interestingly, it only lasted for about a day & a half. Mother Nature apparently took care of it. Since a vulture couldn't get to it, I'll let you writers & science fiction types imagine what quickly consumed it! Ahhhh .... life on the farm.