Written by For Day 14 of World Watercolor Month and our optional prompt of “Aubergine,” I sketched a little raccoon chomping on an eggplant. A few years ago, there was a raccoon we named Bob that would plop onto our roof from a nearby tree. That’s annoying enough when you have a flat roof and the landing spot is directly above your bed, but Bob would also poop in the same spot before leaving once more. We were thankful that Bob seemed to have stopped visiting us, however, recently we were visited by multiple raccoons once more. They would not simply plop, but also wrestle and play, usually in the wee hours of the night. Our neighbors have a rooftop garden and were not too happy to find that the raccoons had taken a liking to their eggplants. Since that night, we’ve enacted a host of deterrents that seem to be working, but I swore I heard just one little set of timid footprints last night. So, I imagined one determined little raccoon, performing some Mission Impossible stealth moves, before claiming his precious prize of just one more eggplant.
I’ve always thought raccoons were really cute. Once there was a family of them marching down the road outside my window and it was rather adorable to watch. That said, when they visit your home uninvited, their cuteness doesn’t really matter as much anymore, and I just want them to leave! I was so irritated with their WWE match they were having above my bed that I rushed to the roof with a flashlight to see what was happening. When I got there, they were already gone. Then, the next night, Philippe did the same and he spotted the two culprits. They didn’t seem to be very bothered by being discovered. As Philippe was descending the spiral staircase to come back inside, one of them peered over the edge to stare at him curiously. He had to admit that yeah, it was actually kind of cute.
We don’t have any plants on our side of the shared roof, so it was our neighbors who experienced the biggest issues. Thankfully, not all of the eggplants were destroyed, before we were able to get rid of them, and we’re actually going over to their place this weekend to enjoy a lovely dinner with food from their garden. I’m excited as fresh vegetables are one of the things I actually do like about summer. This morning the humidity was so high that the entire house was wet on the outside as though it had rained. It hadn’t. It’s funny to hear one of use walk outside and hear the usual, “Ugh! Gross!” That’s pretty much how we spend our summers here and Elliott doesn’t like to run to much when it’s that warm outside either. Tonight, we’re going to be enjoying pizza night, which we’re still doing every Friday even though we’ve changed the restaurant a few times now for variety. I’m hoping for a restful evening without any furry friends dropping by for a visit. But if I hear anything, I’ll definitely be rushing back to the roof to make sure those little bandits are caught in the act!
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Adorable
Thanks so much! 😃💕
Raccoons can be pretty pushy. We once had a feral cat that we fed. She wouldn’t come inside so we put cat food outside the door. A raccoon decided he liked it, and started terrorizing her so he could steal the food. We began standing outside thinking that would scare him off, but nope. He just ignored us until we got a broom. Even then, he’d fight the broom. I don’t know — maybe it was part of the evening’s entertainment for him. Eventually he stopped coming, so either he got tired of the fight, or he tried stealing from the wrong cat.
Yeah… the latter is definitely possible! Cats can hold their own! 😉
This little guy definitely looks “caught in the act”. We have these little critters around our house too and I swear they were holding a dance party of the roof of our bedroom a couple of nights ago. They sure are cute but they definitely could use a class with Miss Manners.
Indeed! Cute, but wow… such bad manners! lol 😃💕
We have them here and provided lots of ranting and flapping from a couple of our elder ladies who of course blew the story up to sound like the animals carried rifles. I saw the raccoons outside the next morning when I woke up and peeked outside at 3 AM. I felt like an interloper as they cavorted in secret among the shadows under a secret moon. They were B I G too and can they ever run up a tree fast. And I got a poem out of that so it was a win for all of us.
A poem sounds like the perfect win indeed! That’s awesome!! 😃💕
Hello Charlie,
I love the raccoon! I wish to be able to see (and pet) a real live raccoon someday. I’ve only seen photographs and videos so far. What does Elliott think of them??? That aubergine too looks delicious. And pizza sounds great. It’s been raining beautifully here and the weather is perfect for a nice hot pizza. So I think I’ll follow your example and convince my family for a pizza dinner tonight🙂
Love,
Mugdha
Thanks so much, Mugdha! 😃💕 Elliott hasn’t met one yet, so I’m not sure what he thinks! hehe Yay for pizza!! Much love to you! ❤️
Super cute! When I was a little girl, we had a Racoon visit us every night to beg for food. She only had 3 Paws, so of course we named her Three Paws, lol. She came for years and ate right from my hand and let me pet her. I loved her. She used to bring her babies when he had them, and they were so tiny and cute. My Mom was always impressed by how well they listened to their Mom; she’d just nod at them and they’d run to climb the tree. She always said, “Why can’t you listen to me like that?” LOL.
Thanks so much, Kathy! 😃💕 Too funny!! I love the Three Paws story… that’s so wonderful!
I really enjoyed this story, Charlie. Felt like I was there! We had a “pet” raccoon when we lived in the country, and while they’re adorable washing their food repeatedly OCD-like, (but much cuter), they are most definitely not fearful. But yours was a fun story, and they seem like they’ve found a new home. Enjoy your garden veggies: I envy you, as there’s nothing finer than plucking your own food from the earth, then getting to eat it too. Have a fabulous weekend!
Thanks so much, Fanna! 😃💕 Yeah, raccoons seem to think they own whatever they find! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend as well!
Cute racoon, Charlie.
Thanks so much, Gary! 😃💕
Love your “Caught in the Act!” And your story. 🙂 Racoons raid gardens here, too, usually i packs with one standing sentry that is usually large and intimidating…. Good luck with your rooftop visitors!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 So far so good… we didn’t get a visit last night! hehe