raccoon

the day just keeps getting more and more exciting here at our house. we were just getting ready to sit down to dinner when i looked out the living room window into the back yard. there, sitting on a tarp (yes, we're rednecks with all kinds of trash laying around....) was this raccoon.

at first, we were extremely quiet so we could get a few shots with the camera before he bolted. but, he didn't bolt. as a matter of fact, he was there to stay.

he balled himself up on the tarp, just like rosco trying to sleep, and appeared to hunker down for the night. in the middle of my back yard.

well, i knew this was NOT going to sit well with the dogs. and i knew that, after rosco's fiasco with the possum, things could get ugly. so we made some real noise. nothing. there he sat. we took the dogs to the window and opened it so they would bark. didn't faze the raccoon at all.

finally, the raccoon got up and limped around a little. he had a bum rear leg. he hopped over to the drain and drank a little water. i suited up and went out back and started clapping and stuff. the little guy just wouldn't budge. i walked down the steps and sort of toward him (i didn't want to corner an injured animal for fear of having my face not-so-surgically removed) and he hopped under the deck. great. now i have to get him out of there, i thought. but, he continued across the yard and finally i coaxed him over the fence.

we all felt very sorry for the little critter. he was hurt and he was very calm. eli cried when the dogs went out into the yard because he was afraid rosco would eat the raccoon. it was kind of heart wrenching.