ROCKY RACCOON???

Awww… what sweet little faces raccoons can have. Except for THIS one, that is. EEKS. Talk about vicious looking! I would totally consider THIS an animal just this side of ferocious vermin. I of course would NEVER go near a raccoon. Why would I?? They are totally creepy and their claws are ridiculously long. Plus... I would never go near one like the one up above. Talk about evil looking!

Which brings me to last Thursday when my neighbors were loading up their moving van to finally pull out of Dodge. For being mere laymen in the moving department, these folks could so be great competition for the professionals, btw. They had about 4 strong family members with heavy duty muscles helping them to load everything onto the HUGE moving van and they were about as organized as any group of workers I’ve ever seen. It was incredible and trust me… this made for fantastic entertainment, watching everyone work like clockwork.

And what gets me… after two full days of loading up two moving vans, starting very early each morning, the neighbors THEN got into the van and headed off to Dallas to their new 4000 sq. foot home with a pool. Driving about the first 4 hours before they stopped for the night. Which, to my calculations, would bring them to their hotel by about 11:00 that evening. AFTER loading everything starting at about 8:00 that morning. WHO HAS THE ENERGY TO DO THAT ALL DAY LONG AND THEN HEAD OFF FOR A ROAD TRIP TO DALLAS?? Oh man… to be young and foolish is all I can say. And btw… they aren’t so young. Both the husband and wife are over 50. I can’t even make a dinner party for 8 anymore without a 10 day window for preparations! For 12, I’d begin even sooner. Anyway…

One the final day of the move, I stopped by as I was coming home, to say goodbye to everyone. I also checked out the empty house with the wife, reminding both of us what our homes looked like the day we moved in. Oh yeah… their house hasn’t even sold yet, but given the wife reads her bible religiously, no pun intended, she has put her faith wholly in God, knowing He would surely lead them down the path to a successful sale. No offense, but God has yet to give the folks even one offer in over 2 months, nor did any amount of praying keep them from having to lower the price twice already. And, when I say pray, I mean pray. The neighbor would never consider beginning or ending her day without reading or memorizing every passage in her beloved Bible.

I need to go off on a tangent here for a second, for I am mighty intrigued that these folks are soooo heavy into God and the Holy Book. Seriously. Now don’t get me wrong… I do believe in God and I have often prayed to God. But I totally would never hand over my entire life to him, to basically allow God to make all my decisions for me. Plus, I couldn’t begin to quote a passage or verse in the Bible if you paid me. Wait. I do know the 23rd Psalm by heart, but that is about it. But the neighbors?? Man. They are soooo into their Bible that I am telling you… either one of them could be preachers or missionaries at a pulpit in a New York minute, citing every verse you’d ever want to know. And oh yeah… being almost anti-gay and adoring Trump doesn’t help me in the truly-bonding-with-them department. In any case…

As I was outside watching them load up the moving van and chit chatting with the wife, they happened to mention the big raccoon that has been on both our front lawns all day long, sunning himself and having a grand ole time just hanging around. The husband TRIED shooing him away the day before but apparently this kind of vermin seemed to love his new found home. Okay. So we said our goodbyes, and I walked back to my car, which was parked in front of their house...where naturally, the raccoon decided to settle in for a snooze. I even had to have the husband walk with me to my car so this creepy creature wouldn’t God forbid, attack me. I was even at my front door as they pulled away in the moving van, waving goodbye and wishing them good luck.

It was then that I saw the raccoon playing all over my front garden, investigating every bush and plant on my property. If HE had the money, I bet HE would have bought the house and stayed for life. Unfortunately he couldn’t, however. Why? Because… get this.

When I woke up the next morning, what should I see but two police cars parked right smack in front of my lawn. There I was at the computer, reading the morning news, looking out my window and I imMEDiately stood up from my chair and walked to my front door, opening it to ask the police what the hell was going on. GET BACK, LADY! CLOSE THE DOOR! DON’T LET YOUR DOG OUT! A RABID RACCOON IS RIGHT HERE ON YOUR FRONT LAWN AND BTW… YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR SOME GUN SHOTS!! 

Holy Shit! Are you kidding me?? Man vs. Beast right before my very eyes?? Talk about an unexpected way to begin my day!

The two policemen were ADament that I safely go into residential lock down mode while they do in the animal. EEEKS. It was crazy. So as soon as I closed the front door, I ran right smack back to the computer room and watched the entire take down. First grabbing my camera, of course.

And then… I naturally took pictures right through my screened windows so I could immortalize this moment for ever. Like when would this kind of deal ever happen again?? Uh… never, that’s when. Oh yeah… and by the way… it took two shots to kill this creature. LOUD shots, too. I even had to supply the cops with two large garbage bags to transport this animal to only God knows where.

I am so telling you. This event was totally freaky and unsettling to me. Down below btw, you'll see some of the pictures I took of this crazy ass scene. I particularly love the expression on the policeman who did the actual shooting because in his face, you could see he was pretty nervous about having to face this creature. Were it a bear, which is not unusual to see around here, he would have fainted altogether. 

So... I am basically raccoon free now, ridding myself from a crazy attack and possible death. Thank the Lord. Which btw... is something my neighbors verbalize aLOT. Afterall... God IS their major guidance for all things in life. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  

1. First sign of trouble

2. Sizing up the problem 

3. OMG. Ready. Aim. Fire!

Getting rid of the evidence