On getting skunked

Juvenile American Five Lined Skink

Richland Creek, Nashville, TN

I took my 5 year old and my 3 year old fishing last weekend at a creek near our house. We tried fishing with worms on bobbers, rooster tail lures, and at least three different minnow lures. But it wasn’t our day.

We caught zero fish. I explained to them we got “skunked.” They were disappointed.

But not for long.

On the walk home we flipped some rocks, and under the fifth rock we found two juvenile five-lined skinks. When you’re 5 and 3, it doesn’t get much better than catching and holding two blue-tailed baby lizards. When we got home and my wife asked about our trip, all they talked about was the two skinks - Popcorn and French Fry.

I told my wife we got skunked.

She said, “It sounds to me like you got skinked.”

She was right. All it took was flipping some rocks on the walk home, and we created a completely different memory.

Skinked.