Sigrid Carlson's skunk story: "We lived in Minnesota during the Depression, renting a big farm house for $7 a month. We were so poor that any way we could earn a dollar or two sure helped. My husband, Harold, and his friend, Otto, went trapping for mink, skunks, etc. A skunk hide paid three or four dollars and that went a long way in the '30s and early '40s.

"It was winter and way below zero. When they brought home the skunks, they were frozen solid on the running board of the car. Harold brought them into the LIVING ROOM to thaw them out so he could skin them. I holed up in the kitchen, stuffing the key hole with rags. After airing out the house for hours, I said 'I don't care if we starve to death, no more skunks in the house!'"