Raccoons!!

Yikes!  We've had raccoons visiting us at night for more years than I can remember.  We've had locking garbage cans, put barricades around and everything else we could think of but the lovely little fellas just work at it until they get some dinner!  Recently, we put a wooden pallet on top of the cans and thought that was keeping the fellas at bay but no, they are smarter than we are!  Late one evening, I heard a thumping sound but couldn't tell where it was coming from.  No raccoons were around so figured it was just my imagination.  The following day, my daughter Kelly found the pallet on the ground and a dead raccoon under it.

We called animal control and they said we would have to pay $50.00 for them to come ou t and take the dead raccoon away. I wonder how much it would cost to round up a live one???  I thought this was a free service from the county.  Shows you what I know.  We were informed that the other option was to dispose of the little fella ourselves by double bagging him and putting him in the garbage.  Pleasant thought!

Kelly decided she was going to take care of this so she prepared for battle.  She put on goggles, a mask that goes over your mouth, double pair of rubber gloves, trash bags and a shovel.  While she was standing in the driveway, smoking a cigarette (yuk) building up the courage to face this daunting task, leaning on the shovel, all dressed and ready to go, a truck went by.  The driver slowed down to peer at this alien looking person in our driveway, finally being brave enough to stop and ask her if something was wrong.   Really, picture this.......she had the goggles on, the face mask down by her chin, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth still leaning on the shovel with her double plastic gloves on.  Did I mention she had her pant legs rolled up?? Imagine the site!  What a brave man!  Kelly explained that she was just building up the courage to take care of the task at hand.  The kind man took pity on her and took care of the problem himself.  No goggles, no gloves, no mask!  What a man!!

Happy sewing,
loreen